Published: 11th Apr, 2024
Context
The world is set to witness the first solar eclipse of 2024 that crossed North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
About
- A solar eclipse occurs when the moon “eclipses” the sun.
- This means that the moon, as it orbits the Earth, comes in between the sun and the Earth, thereby blocking the sun and preventing any sunlight from reaching Earth.
- During the eclipse, the environment undergoes dramatic changes. Temperatures drop, wind pattern changes, stars appear, and diurnal animals may alter their behaviour in response to the sudden darkness.
There are four types of solar eclipses:
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Partial solar eclipse: |
The moon partially covers the sun, creating a crescent shape. In this case, observers will notice a reduction in sunlight. |
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Annular solar eclipse |
It occurs when the moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the sun's disk. This results in a ring of sunlight, or an annulus, around the dark silhouette of the moon. The unobscured and glowing ring, or “annulus,” around the sun is also popularly known as the “ring of fire.” |
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Total solar eclipse: |
The moon totally blocks out the sun for a few minutes, leading to a period of darkness -- and the resulting eclipse is called a total solar eclipse. Solar corona can be witnessed during this. |
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Hybrid solar eclipse |
A hybrid solar eclipse is when the type of eclipse changes between annular and total as the moon's shadow moves across the curved surface of the Earth. |
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