Hobbies And Interests
Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only part of the light from the sun is blocked by the Earth. This can create a variety of effects depending on how much of the light is blocked. For example, part of the moon may be brightly lit and part of it may be completely dark. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon. This causes the moon to become completely dark while it is happening.
Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse happens when the moon comes between the sun and the Earth during the day. This causes the light of the sun to be briefly blotted out. For primitive cultures that knew little about astronomy, this was sometimes considered a frightening event. Like lunar eclipses, not all solar eclipses are total. Most of the time, the moon only blocks a fraction of the sunlight. Even in a total eclipse, the moon isn't big enough to block all of the sunlight from all of the Earth. In fact, whether or not a person sees a solar eclipse depends on where on the Earth a person is watching from.
Viewing an Eclipse
Viewing a lunar eclipse is easy, takes no special equipment and is not harmful. It is even safe to use a telescope to view a lunar eclipse. A solar eclipse is different. Looking at a solar eclipse, even very briefly, with the naked eye can permanently damage a person's eyesight. For safe viewing of a solar eclipse, a pinhole projector is typically made from either paper or cardboard.
Frequency
According to the Astronomical Institute at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, there are 2.44 lunar eclipses per year and 2.38 solar eclipses. Not all of these are full or visible from everywhere on Earth. The institute estimates that any individual in a single location on Earth will be able to see approximately one in every six solar eclipses and about one of every two lunar eclipses.