Eclipses: Balls of Fire

1. Eclipses: Balls of Fire • Arielle Towers 04/28/11

2. Introduction • What is an eclipse of the Moon? • What is an eclipse of the Sun? • What causes an Eclipse? • How often do they happen? • When is the next Solar Eclipse? • When is the next Lunar Eclipse?

3. What is an Eclipse of the Sun? • A Solar Eclipse is when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. As seen from earth. • The amount of coverage depends on the distance of the Moon from the Earth during the Eclipse.

4. Why Does a Solar Eclipse Occur? • A Total Eclipse occurs when the Earth passes through the Umbra of the Moon’s Shadow. • When the umbra does not reach the surface of the Earth, the Sun is only partially covered, causing in an Annular Eclipse. • A Partial Eclipse occurs when the viewer is inside the Penumbra of the Moon’s shadow.

5. Types of Solar Eclipses

6. Solar Eclipse Frequency “During the five thousand year period 2000 BCE to 3000 CE, planet Earth experiences 11,898 solar eclipses as follows:” http://www.mreclipse.com/

7. What is an Eclipse of the Moon? • A Lunar Eclipse is when the moon enters the earths shadow.

8. Why does a Lunar Eclipse Occur? • A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes fully into the Penumbra of the Earth’s shadow. • A Lunar Eclipse only occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth as the sun, they only occur when there is a full Moon.

9. Differences • A Lunar Eclipse can be viewed from almost an entire hemisphere, while a Solar Eclipse can only be view from a certain region. • You can watch a Lunar Eclipse without any danger to your eyes, while watching a Solar Eclipse with the naked eye is very dangerous. • The duration of the Lunar Eclipse may last for almost an hour whereas the Solar Eclipse can be six to seven minutes at best. • Lunar Eclipse generally occurs twice a year whereas the solar eclipse occurs once every 18 months. • Read more: Difference Between Lunar And Solar Eclipse | Difference Between | Lunar And Solar Eclipsehttp://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-lunar-and-solar-eclipse/#ixzz1KtGd3LGt • Read more: Difference Between Lunar And Solar Eclipse | Difference Between | Lunar And Solar Eclipsehttp://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-lunar-and-solar-eclipse/#ixzz1KtGUQ9NC

10. History of Eclipses

11. Future of Eclipses • ‘October 22, 2134 B.C. - Hi and Ho, The Royal Astronomers’ • “Predicting an eclipse was a duty of ancient Chinese astronomers. The earliest written record of a total solar eclipse comes from China. In 2134 B.C. two royal astronomers, Hi and Ho, knew that an eclipse was due. According to legend, on the day of the eclipse they were too drunk to perform the rites of chanting, beating drums and shooting arrows at the dragon that was devouring the Sun. When the eclipse took place the emperor — also known as the 'Son of the Sky'— was caught unprepared. Advance notice was required to dispatch the archers to frighten the dragon consuming the sun. The emperor ordered Hi and Ho beheaded for their sins.” (http://www.nauticom.net/)

12. (http://www.earthview.com)

13. Eclipse Records • “Records of solar eclipses have been kept since ancient times. Eclipse dates can be used for chronological dating of historical records. ASyrian clay tablet records a solar eclipse which occurred on March 5, 1223 B.C.,[14] while Paul Griffin argues that a stone in Ireland records an eclipse on November 30, 3340 B.C.[15] Chinese historical records of solar eclipses date back over 4,000 years and have been used to measure changes in the Earth's rate of spin.[16]” • (http://en.wikipedia.org/)

14. Eclipse Cycles • An eclipse cycle happens when the orbits of a for a harmonic pattern.

15. Saros Cycle • The Saros Cycle occurs when a Solar of Lunar Eclipse repeats every 6,585.3 Days. Or a little over 18 years. (Because it is not a whole number of days, cycles with be visible from different parts of the world.

17. Information Sources • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipses • http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html • http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html • http://www.nauticom.net/www/planet/files/EclipseHistory-FearToFascination.html • http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-lunar-and-solar-eclipse/

18. Image Sources • http://images.astronet.ru/pubd/2007/03/02/0001220977/tsemoon_Gartstein_f.jpg • http://vladon.ru/lj/943e8234133b_13B94/creative_solar_eclipse1920x1080.jpg • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2008-08-01_Solar_eclipse_progression_with_timestamps.jpg • http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/solareclipse.png • http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SS_x_WNqZMM/TT25B8wsIOI/AAAAAAAAAkM/qBypxhMO8FY/s1600/eclipse2.png • http://starwheel.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/lunar-eclipse_svg.png • http://www.accimt.ac.lk/images/types_of_solar_eclipses.jpg • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipses • http://www.accimt.ac.lk/images/types_of_solar_eclipses.jpg • http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html • http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html • http://www.nauticom.net/www/planet/files/EclipseHistory-FearToFascination.html • http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-lunar-and-solar-eclipse/ • http://www.myvisitingcard.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/moon-eclipse_1667065c-300x187.jpg • http://www.officialbhuldahcompany.com/eclipse%204.jpg • http://www.optcorp.com/images2/articles/full-Saros145.GIF • http://www.myastrologybook.com/SarosGeometryOfEclipses.gif