• Question: How often do eclipses occur ?

    Asked by shasow15 to Colm, Eoin, Joseph, Lauren, Stephen on 14 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Stephen Scully

      Stephen Scully answered on 14 Nov 2013:

      An eclipse for us on Earth is either of the following;
      Solar eclipse is when the Moon gets between the Sun and the Earth.
      Lunar eclipse, is when the Earth gets between the Moon and the Sun.

      They do not happen in a regular pattern, like once a month or anything simple like that, but they are predictable by calculating the orbits of the Earth, Moon and Sun. This is a complicated calculation and therefore the easiest way to know when the next one will be is to use the internet.

    • Photo: Eoin O Colgain

      Eoin O Colgain answered on 16 Nov 2013:

      Between 2-5 solar eclipses (moon blocking out the sun) occur a year, with the catch being that one has to go to the right place on the earth to observe them.

      Typically there are 2 lunar eclipses (earth blocking out light to moon) a year and they are easier in that one does not have to be at a special place on the Earth.

    • Photo: Joseph Roche

      Joseph Roche answered on 16 Nov 2013:

      There is a group of people in Ireland that go chasing eclipses: http://www.ecliptomaniacs.com/

    • Photo: colm bracken

      colm bracken answered on 19 Nov 2013:

      There are many different eclipses that we can observe. the most well known ones are of course the Lunar and Solar eclipses. But recently we saw one of the other planets cross in front of the sun (I think it was Venus). This causes a partial eclipse of the Sun, albeit a small one. Mercury also does this.

Comments