“The eclipse at totality allows us to see the inner most regions of the Sun’s atmosphere even if it’s only for a few minutes - it’s very hard to do otherwise,” he said. He said this temperature difference has long mystified scientists. This gives scientists a chance to study the Sun’s atmosphere and help solve a cosmic conundrum.Īstronomer Robert Massey of the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society explained that the Sun’s atmosphere or corona is a massive 2 million degrees Celsius but the Sun’s surface only around 5,500 Celsius. This is called an annular eclipse.Īt perigee (as now) the Sun will be completely blocked by the moon during totality. The moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth which means it is sometimes closer to us - at “perigee” - and sometimes further away - at “apogee.”Īt apogee, the Moon doesn’t appear quite big enough to completely obscure the Sun during a solar eclipse and an observer sees a ring of brilliant light around the Moon. You might wait hundreds of years between two total eclipses at the same place.Īnd not all eclipses are the same. Solar eclipses are relatively common - partial eclipses are visible somewhere on Earth most years - but not necessarily in the same region. You can find out whether you will be able to see the eclipse by watching our animation.
How to see the eclipse in ny full#
Millions will be in the penumbra part of the shadow and able to see a partial eclipse but if you want to catch the full majesty of the 2015 totality it will require a trip to the North Pole, Svalbard or the Faroe Islands between the UK and Norway. On March 20 this year the Moon’s shadow falls across parts of North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. A total eclipse can only be seen in the narrow corridor known as the “path of totality” - or the “inner umbral shadow.” The area where the Sun’s rays are only partially obscured is called the “penumbra.” On occasion, the Sun, Moon and Earth are perfectly aligned so that when the Moon passes in front of the Sun it casts a shadow on the Earth, blocking the light.īut that’s not the whole story.
The Moon and Sun are at just the right distance away from the Earth that they appear to be of the same apparent size in the sky even though the Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon. In reality, solar eclipses, like the one that can be seen across parts of the Northern Hemisphere this month, are down to an amazing coincidence. Mythologies from across the globe have blamed them all for eating the Sun. LONDON (CNN) - It’s a phenomenon that’s been linked to a dragon, a black squirrel and Tiangiou, the magical dog of heaven.