ETYM French éclipse, Latin eclipsis, from Greek ekleipsis, prop., a forsaking, failing, from ekleipein to leave out, forsake; ek out + leipein to leave. Related to Ex-, and Loan.
One celestial body obscures another.
Passage of an astronomical body through the shadow of another.
The term is usually employed for solar and lunar eclipses, which may be either partial or total, but also, for example, for eclipses by Jupiter of its satellites. An eclipse of a star by a body in the Solar System is called an occultation.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun as seen from Earth, and can happen only at new Moon. During a total eclipse the Sun’s corona can be seen. A total solar eclipse can last up to 7.5 minutes. When the Moon is at its farthest from Earth it does not completely cover the face of the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight visible. This is an annular eclipse (from the Latin word annulus “ring”). Between two and five solar eclipses occur each year.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, becoming dim until emerging from the shadow. Lunar eclipses may be partial or total, and they can happen only at full Moon. Total lunar eclipses last for up to 100 minutes; the maximum number each year is three. + prikaži više