During a solar eclipse, the Sun, Moon and Earth are in one straight line. When the Moon moves in front of the Sun, it becomes dark outside, even in broad daylight. This phenomenon last for up to seven minutes in the zone of totality.
If you are in the zone during an eclipse, you'll see the "thin corona," which is the edge of the Sun peeking from behind the Moon. It's a beautiful sight that can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.
The dark part of the shadow is called the umbra, and the lighter one that can be seen at the places on Earth where you can see a partial solar eclipse, is called the penumbra. The umbra is only visible from a narrow part of the Earth. The penumbra becomes wider the farther it is from the Moon.
During a total solar eclipse like the one on the 11th of August, you will have four contacts. A contact is the moment of transition from one stage to another.
The times shown are Stuttgart, Germany local time.
First Contact: 11.12 AM, 52 seconds. The Moon starts to cover the Sun. But it will still be light outside, for more than an hour!
Second Contact: 12.32 AM, 55 seconds Looking like a strand of pearls, you can now see the last light of the Sun. This is the start of the total eclipse! Now you can see the corona and the solar prominences. You can see the light from the stars, shining in the daytime. This is because the bright light of the Sun no longer hides them.
Between the 2nd and the 3rd contact. The Duration of the totality is 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
Third Contact: 12.35 AM, 12 seconds It's now the end of the total eclipse. In the East you can see the fast-receding shadow of the totality. It starts getting brighter!
Fourth Contact: 1.57 PM, 1 seconds The end of the eclipse. The Moon separates from the Sun.
If the Moon is smaller than the Sun, why it is able to cover the Sun?
The diameter of the Moon is about 400 times smaller than the one of the Sun. By the good fortune of the nature, the distance between Earth and Sun is about 400 times larger than the distance between the Earth and the Moon. This is what makes the eclipse possible.
What is the difference between an "annular" and a "total" solar eclipse?
The Moon rotates around the Earth and the Earth rotates around the Sun. Because of this, the distance between Earth and Moon varies. During an annular eclipse, the Moon is farther away from the Earth and the Sun is closer. In this kind of eclipse, you can see a ring round the Moon, but the corona is invisible due to the brightness of the ring. When the Moon is closer to the Earth and the Sun is farther away, the shadow of the Moon covers the whole Sun and we have a total eclipse.
Why don't we have an eclipse during every New Moon?
The Earth and Moon are on different axial tilts, so the conditions to form eclipses are only present when the tilts of the Earth and Moon are lined up just right.
During a solar eclipse, the Sun, Moon and Earth are in one straight line. When the Moon moves in front of the Sun, it becomes dark outside, even in broad daylight. This phenomenon last for up to seven minutes in the zone of totality.
If you are in the zone during an eclipse, you'll see the "thin corona," which is the edge of the Sun peeking from behind the Moon. It's a beautiful sight that can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.
