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| Sun Eclipses | Jump to:
Solar Ecplises Table Text Version |
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The solar eclipse is one of nature's most spectacular events. The moon covers the sun over
one to two hours, where a few points on the sun's edges are visible for a few seconds. A
bright point of light on the moon's edge is known as the diamond ring effect. It lasts for
the three to five seconds and then it is also covered by the moon. The chromosphere is
visible for a few seconds as well. The diamond ring effect comes from the last portion of
light shining through a valley on the moon. When it is over, we see a corona, a halo of
light around the sun. The corona is a layer of gas surrounding the sun. It is a million
times fainter than our own sky. For us to be able to see the corona, the sun must be up
when the sky is not illuminated-which is exaclty what occurs during a solar eclipse. The
corona has an irregular shape with streamers that extend millions of kilometers. The sun
acts as a magnet, allowing us to see polar tufts, which are thin rays that come out of the
sun's poles. During the total eclipse, only the corona is visible. It is perfectly safe to
look at this. When the second diamond-ring effect occurs, you must stop looking at the sun
again. During a total eclipse, the sky is as dark as the night. You can see a pinkish glow
on the horizon. For a minute or two before totality begins or after it ends, narrow bands
of shadow run across the landscape. These are called shadow bands which can be seen well
if you spread out a white sheet across the ground. Solar eclipses are not particularly
rare. Partial ones occur about three times a year. Total eclipses occur every 18 months.
More and more people are becoming interested in seeing total eclipses. Some things to observe in an eclipse are:
Below is a table of past Solar eclipses:
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