Eclipses

There are three types of

LUNAR ECLIPSE:

Total - When the Earth comes directly between the Sun and the Moon so that the Moon is  completely shadowed, receiving no direct light from the Sun.

Partial - When the Moon’s position at the time of opposition with the Sun is such that it is only partially covered by the umbra (the shadow).

Penumbral - When the Moon only passes through the penumbra, the partial shadow area on the outside edges of the total shadow area.

Lunar eclipses are visible to the entire hemisphere of the Earth turned towards the Moon at the time. Because the Earth’s size is greater than that of the Moon, a solar eclipse passes across only a narrow section (about ninety miles wide) of the earth’s hemisphere, facing the Sun and Moon at the time.

There are also three types of

SOLAR ECLIPSE:

Total, partial and annular.

Total and Partial solar eclipses occur when the moon is at Perigee (its closest position to the earth).
Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is at Apogee (its furthest position from the earth).

 

An Annular eclipse means that the Moon, because of this dis tance, is not large enough to fully cover the Sun, leaving a ring of light still visible around the edges.

 

HOW DO ECLIPSES AFFECT US?

Eclipses affect our ‘normal’ perceptions of reality,
and provide us with opportunities to “see things
differently”. When the solar light dims, our ego drive
to grow into the future is temporarily blocked, giving
us a chance to look back at where our past actions
and attitudes have led us. When the moon’s light is
dimmed, traditional restraints and habit patterns may
be temporarily released, giving us an opportunity
to risk trying something new. Both types of eclipse
can put us in touch with our own darkness our fears,
repressed emotions, our wild animal selves. It is this
sudden plunge into the realms of inner night that can
act as a catalyst for political crises; People faced
with their own shadow tend to project their fears
onto others and act with defen sive aggression. It is
therefore helpful during eclipses if we can set aside
some time to meditate. Dealing with our own fears
and being at peace with ourselves, we can project
love and harmony outwards to soothe ruffled
feathers world wide.

 

Eclipses occur at the New and Full Moon, roughly every six months. A Solar eclipse (New Moon) is usually followed by a Lunar eclipse (Full Moon). The great est number of eclipses possible in one year is five solar and two lunar the least number possible is two solar.

 

ECLIPSE STATISTICS

Over 5000 years, from -1999 (2000 BC) to 3000
AD. There are between 4 and 7 eclipses in any calendar year; with an average of 4.82 eclipses per year - making a total of 24085 eclipses.
There are: 2352 years with 4 eclipses (47.0%, 1 in 2.13 years)
1370 years with 5 eclipses (27.4%, 1 in 3.65 years)
1119 years with 6 eclipses (22.4%, 1 in 4.47 years)
159 years with 7 eclipses (3.2%, 1 in 31.45 years)
7 eclipses occur in 1908, 1917, 1935, 1973, 1982, 2038, 2094.
SOLAR ECLIPSES
There are: 11897 solar eclipses altogether (2.38 per year)
3172 total solar eclipses (26.7%, 1 every 1.58 years)
568 hybrid eclipses (4.8%, 1 every 8.80 years)
3960 annular eclipses (33.3%, 1 every 1.26 years)
4197 partial eclipses (35.3%, 1 every 1.19 years)
There are: 3625 years with 2 solar eclipses (72.5%, 1 in 1.38 years)
878 years with 3 solar eclipses (17.6%, 1 in 5.69 years)
472 years with 4 solar eclipses (9.4%, 1 in 10.59 years)
25 years with 5 solar eclipses (0.5%, 1 in 200.00 years)
5 solar eclipses occur in 1255, 1805, 1935, 2206, 2709, 2774, 2839, 2904.
There is a maximum of 2 total solar eclipses in any calendar year.
There are: 1857 years with 0 total solar eclipses (37.1%, 1 in 2.69 years)
3114 years with 1 total solar eclipses (62.3%, 1 in 1.61 years)
29 years with 2 total solar eclipses (0.6%, 1 in 172.41 years)
2 total solar eclipses occur in 1014, 1209, 1358, 1535, 1554, 1712, 1889, 2057, 2252, 2429, 2606, 2801, 2996.
LUNAR ECLIPSES
There are: 12188 lunar eclipses altogether (2.44 per year)
3502 total lunar eclipses (28.7%, 1 every 1.43 years)
4207 partial eclipses (34.5%, 1 every 1.19 years)
4479 penumbral eclipses (36.7%, 1 every 1.12 years)
Of the 4479 penumbral eclipses, 191 are total penumbral eclipses (ie. penumbral magnitude >= 1.000); this is 4.3% of the penumbral eclipses, or 1.6% of all lunar eclipses; 1 every 26.18 years.
There are: 3489 years with 2 lunar eclipses (69.8%, 1 in 1.43 years)
871 years with 3 lunar eclipses (17.4%, 1 in 5.74 years)
603 years with 4 lunar eclipses (12.1%, 1 in 8.29 years)
37 years with 5 lunar eclipses (0.7%, 1 in 135.14 years)
5 lunar eclipses occur in 1181, 1246, 1311, 1676, 1694, 1749, 1879,2132, 2262, 2400, 2653, 2718, 2783, 2848, 2968.
There is a maximum of 3 total lunar eclipses in any calendar year.
There are: 2956 years with 0 total lunar eclipses (59.1%, 1 in 1.69 years)
610 years with 1 total lunar eclipses (12.2%, 1 in 8.20 years)
1410 years with 2 total lunar eclipses (28.2%, 1 in 3.55 years)
24 years with 3 total lunar eclipses (0.5%, 1 in 208.33 years)
Since year 1000, 3 total lunar eclipses occur in 1414, 1479, 1544, 1917, 1982, 2485, 2550, 2615.

2009 ECLIPSES day h m

Annular Eclipse of the Sun Jan 26 20 58
will travel from south of Africa, north-east across the Indian Ocean and into Australasia
Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon Feb 10 03 38
visible from eastern Europe and Africa, Asia, and most of North America
Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon July 7 21 38
visible from the far East, Australia, the Pacific, South America, most of North America
- very hard to see with the naked eye
Total Eclipse of the Sun July 22 14 35
starts in India, crosses China, reaches greatest eclipse in the Pacific, and runs south-east
before tailing off over the ocean
Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon Aug 6 12 39
visible from south-east North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and west Asia
- pretty hard to see with the naked eye
Partial Eclipse of the Moon Jan 01-2010 09 10
most of Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Africa - quite hard to see with the naked eye

ECLIPSES 2008

2008 February 7 - annular solar eclipse  16:08 Antarctica, e Australia, N. Zealand [Annular: Antarctica]
2008 August 1 - total solar eclipse  22:21 N. America, Europe, Asia [Total: n Canada, Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia, China]
2008 February 21 - total lunar eclipse  16:26 Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa
2008 August 17 - partial lunar eclipse  09:10 S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus