Eclipse Quiz
In 1858, Lt. J.M. Gillis set out upon a solar expedition to:
- Read excerpts from Gillis's journal on the Exploratorium's website.
On Christmas Day of 2000, the United States is expected to:
- Africa will enjoy total eclipses on June 21, 2001 and on December 4 of 2002.
What is the maximum number of eclipses that can occur in any given year?
- Eclipses can occur in groupings of either four solar and three lunar or five solar and two lunar.
Where is the best place to view an eclipse?
- If you are fortunate enough to be in the path of the eclipse, make sure you watch from a place where your view of the sun will be unobstructed.
Where will the solar eclipse on August 11, 1999, first touch the earth?
- Scores of eclipse enthusiasts will descend on Cornwall, England for a grand-scale festival.
Approximately how long will the solar eclipse on August 11, 1999, last?
- The eclipse will last 2 1/2 hours as it moves from the North Atlantic to the Bay of Bengal.
Which is the safest way to view a solar eclipse?
- It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and techniques. Earth View, Inc. provides comprehensive instructions for building your own pinhole viewer.
Counting the solar eclipse on August 11, how many eclipses took place in 1999?
- See detailed information on the Eclipses of the Sun and Moon, 1999 in the Infoplease almanac.
What are Baily's beads?
- The cone-shaped shadow of the Earth or moon on the sun is called the umbra. The point at which the moon is at its farthest point from the Earth is called the apogee.
A solar eclipse takes place when:
- A total solar eclipse can occur only when the moon is in its new phase.
