What Causes A Solar Eclipse Yahoo Answers

The moon orbits the earth in a wobbly fashion for lack of a better word.

What causes a solar eclipse yahoo answers.

The problem is that some people don t know when to quit and the novelty of the eclipse causes them to stare at it for so long it causes retinal damage. A solar eclipse does not cause blindness. I ve seen a full solar eclipse and it s really quite remarkable. In a total solar eclipse the moon completely covers the sun.

The recent solar eclipse of january 26 2009 was an annular eclipse see below while the solar eclipse of july 22 2009 was a total solar eclipse. The phenomenon is actually an occultation. The sight of solar eclipse is astonishing and hard to be missed but people should take extra precautions as the sun rays could lead to serious complications in the eyes. Also some people s retinas are more susceptible to damage than most but.

A partial solar eclipse could damage your vision if you look at it without eye protection which ultimately could lead to blindness. In a solar eclipse the moon passes between earth and the sun and stops some or all of the sun s light from reaching earth. A total eclipse is when the moon passes directly in front of the sun and the actual shadow. No comets or asteroids are large enough to eclipse the sun.

In a partial solar eclipse the sun is partly covered when the moon passes in front of it. The total or annular eclipse begins when the moon s umbra starts to sweep across the earth s surface. In ancient times and in some cultures today solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. No planets can cause a solar eclipse.

Mercury and venus can transit the face of the sun but they are very much smaller than the sun so don t eclipse it. There s nothing about the sun s rays that change during a solar eclipse it s actually okay to glance at it briefly. A solar eclipse is actually a misnomer. There are three kinds of solar eclipses.

Usually there is never a solar eclipse if the moon were exactly lined up wed have one every month.