The much anticipated solar eclipse will occur on August 21. As the days near, the excitement continues to grow.
This is the first time in over 90 years that all of North America will get to experience a solar eclipse because, as you might imagine, quite a few things must line up in order for this to occur.
First, we need the moon to pass between the sun and the Earth during its new moon phase, the new moon phase is when the illuminated portion of the moon is not visible to us. During a solar eclipse, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line. Once this happens, the moon blocks out the sun and casts two shadows on Earth.
The shadows are known as the Umbra, which gets smaller as it approaches Earth, and the Penumbra, which gets larger as it approaches Earth.
When the sun is completely blocked out, it is known as a total solar eclipse. This happens when the moon and the sun are directly in line and your viewing location is in the umbra portion of the moons shadow.
The sky during this time will become dark and temperatures will drop due to the loss of direct radiation and infrared heat from the sun. Also, due to the temporary loss of daylight, you may also be able to see several planets that are not typically visible until the late evening or early morning.
Not every solar eclipse is a total solar eclipse. There are two other types.
The first type is a partial eclipse, where the sun, moon and Earth are not perfectly lined up. The sun at this time appears to have a dark shadow on only a small portion of it. The second type is an annular eclipse, this eclipse is when the moon is farthest from the Earth. Since the moon is farther away, it will appear smaller and will not block out the sun. When this happens, the moon will appear to have a ring around it.
Come August 21, whether you’re in the prime viewing path or not, you might want to get out to see this. It's likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
-----
