ECLIPSE

ECLIPSE

A temporary obstruction of an astronomical object or spacecraft by passing into the shadow of another body or having another body move in front of it causes an eclipse, which is an astronomical event. A syzygy is an alignment of three heavenly bodies. A transit or an occultation (totally concealed) causes an eclipse (partially hidden).

The phrase “eclipse” is most frequently used to refer to either a solar eclipse, which occurs when the Moon’s shadow passes across the surface of the Earth, or a lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow. The term can also be used to describe similar occurrences outside the Earth-Moon system, such as when a planet moves into the shadow cast by one of its moons, when a moon moves into the shadow of its host planet, or when a moon moves into the shadow of another moon. The plane of the orbits of the stars in a binary star system can also cause eclipses if it crosses where the observer is standing.

The unique occurrences of solar and lunar eclipses only take place during a “eclipse season,” which occurs twice a year when the Earth’s orbital plane intersects with the Moon’s orbital plane, with the line formed by the intersection pointing toward the Sun. The apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon determine the sort of solar eclipse that occurs during each season, whether total, annular, hybrid, or partial. Eclipses would occur on the first of every month if the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the Moon’s orbit around the Earth were on the same plane.

Eclipse 2023