40 FAQs about Eclipses (The Astronomy Cafe)

Basic Facts: NASA Eclipse Pages,

The Next Ones: Solar: 2001-2010, Lunar:2001-2010

Pictures: Lunar Eclipses , Solar Eclipses

Solar Eclipses:

  1. When will the partial solar eclipse of October, 1996 be visible from Nebraska?
  2. When can I see the next solar eclipse from North America?
  3. Typically, how big a temperature drop do you get during a total solar eclipse?
  4. What will we observe before sunrise during the Eclipse of 1999 in New England?
  5. When was the last total solar eclipse visible from Gaspe Quebec?
  6. Was there a solar eclipse in 1290 AD visible from Oxford, England?
  7. When is the next solar eclipse and where should I go to see it?
  8. How well are the ground tracks for solar eclipses known in advance of the event?
  9. Was there a total solar eclipse visible in 1012 BC from Latika Syria?
  10. When will the next solar eclipse be seen in Southern Australia?
  11. My computer says there was an eclipse on April 17th, 1996. Was there?
  12. What is the track of the solar eclipse on August 11, 1999?
  13. What are 'shadow bands'?
  14. Will the total solar eclipse of February 26, 1998 be visible from Aruba or Curacao?
  15. Was there a total eclipse of the Sun as seen from Atlanta Georgia in the early 1980's?
  16. When will the next total solar eclipse occur?
  17. Is there a book that shows the solar eclipse tracks going back several hundred years?
  18. Will there be a solar eclipse visible from the West Indies in 1998?
  19. How long will there continue to be total eclipses of the Sun by the Moon?
  20. Will there be a solar eclipse visible from Africa on October 25, 1995?

 

Lunar Eclipses:

  1. Where can I get an archive of Danjon lunar eclipse numbers?
  2. Why does parallax change the appearance of a lunar eclipse as seen from the Earth?
  3. Was a lunar eclipse visible from Santorini in 1985?
  4. Why are some lunar eclipses red in color?
  5. What was that group of stars near the September, 1996 lunar eclipse?
  6. The September, 1996 lunar eclipse looked different on the East and West coasts. Why?
  7. What is the speed of the Earth's shadow across the Moon during a lunar eclipse?
  8. How often does a total lunar eclipse correspond with the Harvest Moon in September?
  9. Why does the Moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?
  10. Will the Moon be Full and red on September 27, 1996?
  11. Will there be two lunar eclipses visible from New England in 1996?

 

Miscellaneous:

  1. Where on the Web can I find tracks of future eclipses?
  2. How do you determine your longitude from a lunar or solar eclipse?
  3. Can you date the crucifixion of Jesus Christ using astronomy?
  4. Do you know of any historic examples where western explorers used their knowledge of eclipses to impress the natives?
  5. Do lunar and solar eclipses have any noticeable affect on humans?
  6. How accurate are modern calculations of ancient eclipses?
  7. Does the term 'Blue Moon' have anything to do with eclipses of planets by the moon?
  8. What happens more often solar or lunar eclipses?
  9. Is it an accident that the Moon is just big enough to cover the Sun?

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