What Causes A Solar Eclipse Yahoo Answers

No comets or asteroids are large enough to eclipse the sun.

What causes a solar eclipse yahoo answers.

In ancient times and in some cultures today solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. A total eclipse is when the moon passes directly in front of the sun and the actual shadow. A partial solar eclipse could damage your vision if you look at it without eye protection which ultimately could lead to blindness. A solar eclipse is actually a misnomer.

Also some people s retinas are more susceptible to damage than most but. Watching the sun for a few seconds could cause solar poisoning that leads to permanent damages in the sight and in simple cases could affect the eye s ability to recognise colour. The problem is that some people don t know when to quit and the novelty of the eclipse causes them to stare at it for so long it causes retinal damage. I ve seen a full solar eclipse and it s really quite remarkable.

General phases of a solar eclipse the general eclipse begins when the moon s penumbra cone starts to sweep across the earth s surface. No planets can cause a solar eclipse. The sight of solar eclipse is astonishing and hard to be missed but people should take extra precautions as the sun rays could lead to serious complications in the eyes. In a solar eclipse the moon passes between earth and the sun and stops some or all of the sun s light from reaching earth.

Usually there is never a solar eclipse if the moon were exactly lined up wed have one every month. A solar eclipse does not cause blindness. Of the moon on the earth is very tiny. Mercury and venus can transit the face of the sun but they are very much smaller than the sun so don t eclipse it.

The recent solar eclipse of january 26 2009 was an annular eclipse see below while the solar eclipse of july 22 2009 was a total solar eclipse. In a total solar eclipse the moon completely covers the sun. There s nothing about the sun s rays that change during a solar eclipse it s actually okay to glance at it briefly. The phenomenon is actually an occultation.

There are three kinds of solar eclipses.