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What
is Solar Eclipse ? An eclipse of the
sun occurs when the moon revolving in its orbit around the earth
comes between the sun and the earth. The moon blocks the light
of the sun and a shadow of the moon is cast over the earth's surface..
How does the moon bock the sun? By a
fortunate coincidence, the sun's diameter is 400 times larger
than that of the moon, and at the same time, it is 400 times as
far away. From where we are, this creates the illusion that they
are the same size. If we look through a filter at the sun, it
looks exactly like the moon on a full moon night. When the moon
passes in front of the sun, the shadow falls on the earth and
it appears to exactly cover the sun's disc. This is what a solar
eclipse is - a shadow.
Is
it evil to watch Solar Eclipse ? In essence, an eclipse is no
more evil than the shadow of a tree, or a tall building. The moon
just blocks off the light of the sun for a brief, beautiful moment.
Where
can we see this ? During a solar eclipse, the moon actually
casts two shadows towards earth. One shadow shaped
like a cone is
called the umbra. This becomes narrower as it reaches the earth.
No direct sunlight penetrates into this area. The path of this is
called the path of totality. If you are positioned in this area
than you can see a complete blocking of the sun and view a total
solar eclipse. Total eclipse is observable only within a narrow
strip of land or sea over which the umbra passes.
The
second shadow is called the penumbra which spreads out as it reaches
the earth. The
penumbra is spread over a large area. People viewing the eclipse
from this area of the earth's surface will see only a partial blocking
of the sun.
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