Of course, the interval between seeing two eclipses from one particular place can be shorter or longer.įor instance, the last total eclipse visible from Princeton, NJ was in 1478 and the next is in 2079. You'd have to wait an average of 375 years to see two total eclipses from one place. Since each total eclipse is only visible from a very narrow track, it is rare to see one from any single location. Just one total eclipse occurs each year or two. The path of a total eclipse can cross any part of Earth.Įven the North and South Poles get a total eclipse sooner or later. In order to see the Sun become completely eclipsed by the Moon, you must be somewhere inside the narrow path of totality. It covers less than 1% of Earth's entire surface area. It is typically 10,000 miles long but only about 100 miles wide. The track of the Moon's umbral shadow across Earth is called the Path of Totality. If the Moon's inner or umbral shadow sweeps across Earth's surface, then a total eclipse of the Sun is seen. Total Solar Eclipse and Path of Totality Total Solar Eclipses and the Path of Totality This is only possible when the Moon is in the Full Moon phase. It happens when the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?Ī lunar eclipse is an eclipse of the Moon rather than the Sun. You must use special filters or a home-made pinhole projector to safely watch a partial eclipse of the Sun Partial eclipses are dangerous to look at because the un-eclipsed part of the Sun is still very bright. When the Moon's penumbral shadow strikes Earth, we see a partial eclipse of the Sun from that region.
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