As you know, the planets and their satellites do not stand still. The earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. And from time to time there are such moments when the Moon in its movement completely or partially obscures the Sun.

Picture 1.

Solar eclipse is the shadow of the moon on the surface of the earth. This shadow is about 200 km in diameter, which is many times smaller than the diameter of the Earth. Therefore, a solar eclipse can be observed simultaneously only in a narrow band along the path of the moon's shadow:

Figure 2. Lunar shadow on the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse

If the observer is in the shadow strip, he sees total solar eclipse, in which the moon completely hides the sun. At the same time, the sky darkens, and stars can become visible on it. It's getting a little cooler. The birds abruptly fall silent, frightened by the sudden darkness, and try to hide. Animals start to get restless. Some plants fold their leaves.

Figure 3 Phase of a total solar eclipse

Observers near the total eclipse can see partial solar eclipse . During a partial eclipse, the Moon passes across the disk of the Sun not exactly in the center, but hides only part of this disk. In this case, the sky darkens much weaker than during a total eclipse, the stars are not visible on it. A partial eclipse can be observed at a distance of about 2 thousand kilometers from the zone of total eclipse.

Figure 4

A solar eclipse always happens on a new moon. At this time, the Moon is not visible on Earth, because the side of the Moon that faces the Earth is not illuminated by the Sun (see Figure 1). Because of this, it seems that during an eclipse, the Sun closes a black spot, taken from nowhere.

The shadow that the Moon casts towards the Earth looks like a converging cone. The tip of this cone is located a little further than our planet (see Figures 1 and 2). Therefore, when the shadow hits the surface of the Earth, it is not a point, but a relatively small (150–270 km across) black spot. Following the Moon, this spot moves across the surface of our planet at a speed of about 1 kilometer per second:

Figure 5
Scheme of the solar eclipse July 22, 2009 from the NASA website

Consequently, the shadow of the Moon moves with great speed over the earth's surface and cannot permanently close any one place on the globe. The maximum possible duration of the full phase is only 7.5 minutes. A partial eclipse lasts about two hours.

Solar eclipses on Earth are a truly unique phenomenon. It is possible because on the celestial sphere the diameters of the Moon and the Sun almost coincide, despite the fact that the diameter of the Sun is almost 400 times the diameter of the Moon. And this happens because the Sun is about 400 times farther from the Earth than the Moon.

But the Moon's orbit is not round, but elliptical. Therefore, at times favorable for the onset of eclipses, the lunar disk can be larger than the solar disk, equal to it or less than it. The first is a total eclipse. In the second case, a total eclipse also occurs, but it lasts only a moment. And in the third case, an annular eclipse occurs: around the dark disk of the Moon, a shining ring of the Sun's surface is visible. Such an eclipse can last up to 12 minutes.

During a total solar eclipse, you can see solar corona - the outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere, which is not visible in normal sunlight. This is a breathtakingly beautiful sight:

Figure 6 Solar eclipse August 11, 1999

Waiting for the onset of spring after a long period of winter cold, seeing off winter is associated among the people with the Maslenitsa holiday.

Maslenitsa is a traditional holiday, widely celebrated among the people since the days of paganism. That is, this is a folk-Orthodox holiday (at the present time), which has pagan roots. It originated in Russia among the ancient Slavs around the 4th century AD, even before the introduction of Christianity by Prince Vladimir.

Thousands of years ago, in pagan times, the days of the spring equinox were considered the beginning of a new year and were celebrated as the beginning of a new life and the flowering of nature. The cult of the sun was present in the ritual of that ancient Shrovetide, and has survived to this day in the tradition of baking pancakes, as round, hot and yellow as the sun itself. The custom of putting up an effigy of Maslenitsa on the site of the festivities, and then solemnly burning it, tearing it apart and scattering it across the fields, is also caused by the belief of our ancestors in the renewal of the fruitful forces of the earth after the destruction of last year's already spent fertility ...

The celebration of Maslenitsa has always been one of the brightest and most joyful events in the life of a Russian person. Since ancient times, during the Maslenitsa week, people joyfully met Spring and saw off Winter. It was believed that Maslenitsa should be "broad, honest, gluttonous, drunken, ruiner." And her celebration was obligatory for everyone, they even said: " At least lay yourself down, but spend Maslenitsa!".

With the baptism of the people in Russia into Christianity, the attitude to this holiday was also rethought.. Now believers during Shrove Tuesday or Cheese Week, as this week is called in the church, prepare themselves for.

Traditions and customs of Maslenitsa:

The essence of the Maslenitsa holiday in the Christian sense is as follows:

Forgiveness of offenders, restoration of good relations with neighbors, sincere and friendly communication with relatives and friends, as well as charity- that's what is the main thing in this Cheese week.

It is no longer possible to eat meat dishes on Maslenitsa, and this is also the first step towards fasting. But pancakes are baked and eaten with great pleasure. They are baked fresh and leavened, with eggs and milk, served with caviar, sour cream, butter or honey.

In general, during Shrovetide week one should have fun and attend festive events (skating, skiing, snowtubes, slides, horseback riding). Also, it is necessary to devote time to the family - to have fun together with relatives and friends: go somewhere together, the "young" should visit their parents, and the parents, in turn, should come to visit the children.

Date of Maslenitsa (Orthodox and pagan):

In church tradition Maslenitsa is celebrated for 7 days (weeks) from Monday to Sunday, before the most important Orthodox fast, so the event is also called "Pancake Week".

The time of the Maslenitsa week depends on the beginning of Great Lent, which makes Easter, and every year it shifts in accordance with the Orthodox church calendar.

So, in 2019, the Orthodox Maslenitsa takes place from March 4, 2019 to March 10, 2019, and in 2020 - from February 24, 2020 to March 1, 2020.

As for the pagan date of Maslenitsa, then d the ancient Slavs celebrated a holiday according to the solar calendar - at the time of the onset of astronomical spring, which occurs in . The Old Russian celebration lasted for 14 days: it began a week before the Spring Equinox, and ended a week later.

In the northern hemisphere, the date of the vernal equinox is 20th of March. Accordingly, according to ancient Slavic traditions, Pagan Shrovetide should be celebrated annually from March 14 to March 27.

Description of Maslenitsa celebration:

The tradition of celebrating Maslenitsa with a merry festivity has survived to this day.

Most Russian cities host events called "Wide Shrovetide". In the capital of Russia, the city of Moscow, the central platform for festive festivities is traditionally the Vasilyevsky Spusk of Red Square. Also held abroad "Russian Maslenitsa" to promote Russian traditions.
It is customary, especially on the last Sunday, when workers and students can relax, organize mass holidays like in the old days, with songs, games, seeing off and burning an effigy of Maslenitsa. Shrovetide towns organize scenes for performances, places for the sale of food (pancakes are required), and souvenirs, attractions for children. Masquerades with mummers and carnival processions are held.

What are the days of Pancake week, what are they called (name and description):

Each day of Maslenitsa has its own name and has its own traditions. Below is the name and description for each day.

Monday - Meeting. Since the first day is a working day, in the evening father-in-law and mother-in-law come to visit the parents of the daughter-in-law. The first pancakes are baked, which can be given to the poor in remembrance of the dead. On Monday, a straw effigy is dressed up and displayed on a hill in the place where the festivities are held. In dances and games, stylized fisticuffs "wall to wall" are held. The "first pancake" is baked and solemnly eaten as a reminder of the soul.

Tuesday - Gambling. The second day is traditionally the day of the young. Youth festivities, skiing from the mountains ("pokatushki"), matchmaking are signs of this day. It should be noted that the church forbids weddings on Maslenitsa, as well as in Lent. Therefore, on Maslenitsa Tuesday, the bride is married to play a wedding after Easter on Krasnaya Gorka.

Wednesday - Lakomka. On the third day, the son-in-law comes to mother-in-law for pancakes.

Thursday - Revelry, Revelry. On the fourth day, folk festivals become massive. Wide Maslenitsa- this is the name of the days from Thursday to the end of the week, and the day of generous treats itself is called "riotous quarter".

Friday - Mother-in-law evening. On the fifth day of Shrove Tuesday mother-in-law with friends or relatives comes to visit son-in-law for pancakes. Pancakes, of course, should be baked by her daughter, and her son-in-law should show hospitality. In addition to the mother-in-law, all relatives are invited to visit.

Saturday - Zolov's gatherings. On the sixth day husband's sisters come to visit(you can also invite other relatives of the husband). It is considered good form not only to feed the guests plentifully and tasty, but also to give gifts to the sisters-in-law.

Sunday - Seeing off, Forgiveness Sunday. On the last (seventh) day, before Lent, one should repent and show mercy. All relatives and friends ask each other for forgiveness. In places of public celebrations, carnival processions are organized. The effigy of Maslenitsa is solemnly burned, thus turning into a beautiful Spring. With the onset of darkness, festive fireworks are launched.

In churches, also on Sunday, at the evening service, the rite of forgiveness is performed, when the priest asks for forgiveness from church servants and parishioners. All believers in turn ask for forgiveness and bow to each other. In response to a request for forgiveness, they say "God will forgive."

> > solar eclipse

Solar eclipse- description for children: phases and conditions, eclipse scheme, position of the Moon, Sun and Earth in space, total, partial, annular, how to observe.

For the little ones you should know exactly how this amazing event occurs - a solar eclipse. Children we must not forget that all objects in the solar system move along their own trajectory. On certain dates, the Moon becomes in the space between us and, covering a certain part of the Earth with its shadow. Of course, depending on the position of the bodies, there can be a total, partial or annular solar eclipse. But all this is based on specific factors that need to be explain to the children. The diagram below will show how an eclipse is formed and which solar eclipse you are looking at in a particular case.

Parents or teachers at school should start with a backstory. The moon appeared 4.5 billion years ago. But initially it was located much closer, until it began to gradually move away (by 4 cm every year). Now the Moon has receded so much that it fits perfectly into the outline of the Sun (in the sky, both objects seem to us the same size). True, it doesn't always work out that way.

When will the next eclipse be?

To give complete explanation for children, it would be good to study the conditions of a solar eclipse and give an example of the previous event - February 26. It has been visible from Argentina, the South Atlantic and parts of Africa. Although with modern technology, having a computer, you can watch it anywhere on earth.

The next solar eclipse will be visible from North America on August 21st. It will be complete and will pass through the US states: from Oregon to Georgia.

Types of solar eclipses

When people watch a solar eclipse, they don't always understand what they see. Children must remember only four varieties: full, ring, partial and hybrid.

Complete

To be honest, regarding the total solar eclipse, we are just very lucky. The solar diameter is 400 times that of the moon. But even for the little ones it is not news that the earth satellite is closer. Therefore, when their orbits intersect, the distance is equalized and the Moon can completely cover the solar disk. Usually this is observed every 18 months.

The shadow is divided into two types. The shadow is the part where all the sunlight is blocked (it takes the form of a dark cone). It is surrounded by shade. This is a lighter shadow, in the form of a funnel, from which the light is only partially blocked.

When a period of total eclipse occurs, the Moon casts a shadow on the surface. Should explain to children that such a shadow is able to cover 1/3 of the earth's route in just a couple of hours. If you are lucky enough to get under direct light radiation, you will see how the solar disk takes the form of a crescent.

There is a very short moment when the Sun is completely blocked. Then you will catch the glow of the corona (the outer ball of the solar atmosphere). This period lasts up to 7 minutes 31 seconds, although most total eclipses most often end earlier.

Partial

A partial eclipse occurs when only penumbra forms above you. At such moments, a certain part of the Sun always remains visible (which part will depend on the circumstances).

Most often, penumbra falls over the polar regions. Other regions near this zone observe only a thin solar strip hidden behind the Moon. If you are in the very center of events, then you can see the part covered by the shadow. Important explain to children that the closer they are to the epicenter, the bigger the event will appear. For example, if you are out of sight, you may notice how the Sun shrinks to a crescent shape, and then gradually returns to its usual form.

Ring

An annular eclipse is a type of partial eclipse and lasts 12 minutes 30 seconds (maximum). To make it clear explanation for children, it is worth noting that this happens rarely and does not seem to be complete. It all starts with the sky darkening, reminiscent of twilight, as most of the star is still visible.

Sometimes it is still confused with the full one, because the Moon occupies the entire central solar plane. But here lies the main difference. The fact is that our satellite is not close enough at this moment, so it seems small and does not cover the entire disk. Therefore, the tip of the shadow is not marked on Earth. If you are lucky enough to be in the very center, then you will see a "ring of fire" framing the moon. Parents or teachers at school can demonstrate this phenomenon if a coin is placed on a luminous flashlight.

hybrids

They are also called annular (A-T) eclipses. A similar thing happens when the Moon reaches its limit in distance, allowing the shadow to touch our surface. In most cases, the beginning resembles an annular type because the shadow tip has not yet reached the Earth. Then it becomes full, as in the very middle the shadow falls on the earth's roundness, after which it returns again to the ring type.

Since the satellite appears to be crossing the solar line, total, annular, and hybrid eclipses are called "central" eclipses so as not to be confused with partial ones. If we take it as a percentage, we get: full - 28%, partial - 35%, ring - 32% and hybrid - 5%.

Eclipse Predictions

Of course, for the little ones It is important to understand that eclipses will not occur with every new moon. The Moon's shadow most often passes above or below Earth level because the satellite's orbit is tilted by 5 degrees. But 2 times a year (maybe 5) the new moon becomes at the right point, allowing you to obscure the Sun. This point is called a node. Partiality or centrality will depend on the approach of the satellite to this node. But the formation of a total, annular or hybrid eclipse will be affected by the distance between the Earth and the Moon, as well as the planet and the Sun.

Parents should be reminded that these events do not happen by chance and can be calculated, so that people have the opportunity to prepare. There is a certain interval called the Saros cycle. Children they will be surprised, but the early Chaldean astronomers managed to calculate it 28 centuries ago. The word "saros" itself denoted a process of repetition and was equated to 18 years and 11⅓ days (of course, the number of days varies in a leap year). At the end of the interval, the Sun and Moon align to their previous positions. What does the third mean? This is the path of each eclipse, which with each new eclipse moves closer to the west in relation to longitude. For example, the total eclipse on March 29, 2006 passed through western and northern Africa, and then moved to southern Asia. On April 8, 2024, it will repeat, but will already cover northern Mexico, the central and eastern regions of the United States, as well as the Canadian coastal provinces.

Safe Surveillance

The closer the event is, the more actively the news tries to talk about the most important precautions regarding the observation of the eclipse. They forbid looking directly, as you can go blind. Because of this, many began to regard eclipses as something dangerous. No matter how!

Generally speaking, the Sun never loses its danger. Every second, it showers our planet with invisible infrared rays that can damage our eyesight. Children they probably checked this on themselves when they stared at the ordinary Sun for a long time. Of course, most of the time we don't, but an eclipse makes us look up.

But there are also safe methods...

Camera obscura guarantee maximum security. Binoculars or a small telescope on a tripod will also work. With it, you can find spots, and also notice that the Sun will be darker at the edges. Otherwise, you should never look directly at the Sun without protective equipment.

There is also a mirror with special holes. You can do it yourself. To do this, take paper with a small hole and cover it with a mirror (no larger than the palm of your hand). Open the window on the sunny side, and place the mirror on the window sill illuminated by the rays. You need to place it so that the reflective side reflects sunlight onto the wall inside the house. You will see the manifestation of the disk - this is a sunny face. The greater the distance from the wall, the better the visibility. Every three meters, the image appears only 3 cm. You need to experiment with the size of the hole, as a large one will add brightness to the image at the expense of loss of clarity. But a small one will make it darker, but sharp. Don't forget to close the other windows with curtains and don't turn on the lights. It is best to organize the maximum gloom in the room. Do not forget also that the mirror should be even and do not look at the reflection itself.

It is worth discarding the negatives of old camera film, as well as black and white film (it does not contain silver), sunglasses, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Of course, they do not let much sunlight through, but children must understand that they fail to protect the eyes from exposure to huge amounts of near infrared radiation, which can lead to retinal burn. And don't think that the absence of discomfort makes observation safe.

True, there is one moment when you can look at the Sun without fear - a total eclipse. At this time, the solar disk overlaps. But this lasts only a few seconds or minutes, but it becomes possible to admire the delightful radiance of the pearl-white crown. With each eclipse, it will change shades and size. Sometimes it seems soft, but it happens that several long rays seem to diverge from the star. But as soon as the sun appears, you need to quickly use protection.

Eclipses in antiquity

Explanation for children would be incomplete without mentioning historical events. The earliest records appeared 4000 years ago. The Chinese believed that this is a giant dragon trying to swallow the Sun. At the court of the emperor, there were even special astronomers who, during the event, shot arrows into the sky, played drums and made noise to scare the monster.

This is depicted in the book of ancient China Shujing (Book of Documents). It tells about two astronomers at court: Xi and Ho. They were caught drunk before the eclipse began. The emperor was so angry that he gave the order to cut off their heads. This event took place on October 22, 2134 BC.

Eclipses are also mentioned in the Bible. For example, in the book of Amos 8:9: "I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the midst of a bright day." Scientists say that we are talking about an eclipse in Nineveh on June 15, 763 BC.

A solar eclipse could stop the war

Herodotus said that the Lydians and the Medes waged a 5-year war. When it was to stretch out for another year, Thales of Miletus (Greek sage) said that the moment would soon come when the day would become night. And it happened on May 17, 603 BC. The warriors thought it was a warning sign from the gods and reconciled.

For sure children may have heard the expression "scared to death." So this has a real reference to the son of Charlemagne Emperor Louis of Bavaria. May 5, 840 AD he noticed a total eclipse that stretched for as much as 5 minutes. But as soon as the Sun emerged from the shadow, Louis was so amazed that he died of horror!

Modern research

Astronomers have been studying our system for a long time, trying to figure out what an eclipse is. And although then it was very difficult to obtain information (people could not go into space), but by the 18th century a lot of useful knowledge had been collected.

To follow the total solar eclipse of October 27, 1780, Harvard professor Samuel Williams organized a trip to Panebscot Bay, Maine. It was dangerous, because at that time this territory was in the enemy zone (War of Independence). But the British appreciated the importance to science and let it pass without pretensions to political differences.

But all this turned out to be in vain. Williams made a serious miscalculation, so he placed people in Islesboro, which was right outside the event. He watched in disappointment as the crescent moon slid around the dark edge of the moon and began to gain strength.

During the period of a complete cycle, several bright red spots can be seen around the black disk of the satellite. These are solar prominences - hot hydrogen escaping to the surface of a star. The phenomenon was traced by Pierre Janssen (an astronomer from France) on August 18, 1868. Thanks to this, he discovered a new element, which later other astronomers (J. Norman Lockyer and Edward Frankland) called helium (the Greek word "helios" meant "Sun"). He was identified only in 1895.

A total eclipse is also interesting because at that moment the sunlight is blocked, so the surrounding stars are much easier to observe. It is under these conditions that astronomers manage to test the general theory of relativity, which predicted that starlight would pass beyond the Sun and go astray. To do this, we compared two images of the same stars, taken during the total eclipse of May 29, 1919, and during the day.

Modern technology can do without eclipses to track other stars. But a total eclipse will forever remain a long-awaited and amazing event that everyone should see. You have studied the description and conditions for creating a solar eclipse. Use our photos, videos, drawings and live models online to better understand the description and characteristics of the star. In addition, the site has online telescopes that observe the Sun in real time, and a 3D model of the solar system with all the planets, a map of the Sun and a view of the surface. Be sure to visit the calendar pages to find out when the next solar eclipse will be.

Solar eclipse:
total solar eclipse, partial solar eclipse, annular eclipse

Recently, astronomy has ceased to be a compulsory subject at school; hopes are pinned on this publication for the possibility of filling in the forced gaps in education with the help of the Internet ...

First of all, let's turn to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia in order to take advantage of the time-tested and, undoubtedly, outstanding scientists definition of the subject of our conversation: An eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon in which the Sun, Moon, planet, satellite or star cease to be visible to an earthly observer in whole or in part.
Eclipses occur due to the fact that either one celestial body covers another, or the shadow of one non-self-luminous body falls on another such body. An eclipse of the Sun is observed when it is covered (obscured) by the Moon.Solar Eclipses Always Occur on the New Moon.

A solar eclipse is a unique event every time.
What are eclipses?

We are so used to our moon that we don’t even suspect how lucky we are with it! And we were lucky with her twice. First, our Moon is not some shapeless cobblestone like Phobos or Deimos, but a neat little round mini-planet! Second, the Moon is now quite far from the Earth and there are no daily earthquakes and huge waves, once in the past caused by the tidal forces of the Moon (in our time, the Moon is moving away from the Earth at a speed of 4 cm per year - in earlier eras it happened faster). The Moon is now so far away that its apparent angular size is close to that of the even more distant Sun. And once the Moon was so close to the Earth that solar eclipses happened every new moon, although there was still no one to look at them at that time ...

Each solar eclipse is unique in its own way, exactly how the eclipse will look for an earthly observer is determined by 3 factors (in addition to weather): the angular diameters (dimensions) of the Sun visible from the observation point α and moon β and the trajectory of the Moon relative to the Sun and stars (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. The angular diameters of the Sun visible from the Earth's surface ( α ) and the Moon ( β ), the trajectory of the movement of the Moon in the starry sky (dotted line).

Due to the fact that the Moon and the Earth move in elliptical orbits (the Moon is either closer or further away from the Earth, and the Earth, in turn, is either closer or further away from the Sun), the apparent angular diameter of the Moon, depending on the orbital position, can vary from 29 .43" to 33.3" (minutes of arc), and the apparent angular diameter of the Sun is from 31.6" to 32.7". At the same time, their average statistical visible diameters, respectively, are for the Moon: 31"05" and for the Sun: 31"59".
Depending on whether the visible trajectory of the Moon passes through the center of the Sun, or crosses its visible area in an arbitrary place, as well as various combinations of the visible angular dimensions of the Moon and the Sun, three types of solar eclipses are traditionally distinguished: partial, total and annular eclipses .

Partial solar eclipse

If the observed trajectory of the Moon does not pass through the center of the Sun, then the Moon, as a rule, cannot completely obscure the Sun (Fig. 3) - an eclipse in which the Moon covers the Sun is not completely called partial (private from the word "part" with the meaning "partial eclipse"). Such an eclipse can occur for any possible combination of apparent angular diameters of the Moon and the Sun.

Most of the solar eclipses that occur on Earth are partial eclipses (approximately 68%).

total solar eclipse

If at any point on the Earth's surface, observers can see that the Moon completely covers the Sun, then such an eclipse is called a total solar eclipse. Such an eclipse occurs when the apparent path of the Moon passes through or very close to the center of the Sun, and the apparent diameter of the Moon is β must be greater than or at least equal to the apparent diameter of the Sun α (Fig. 4).

Rice. four. Total solar eclipse, March 20, 2015 at 12:46 observed near the North Pole.

A total solar eclipse can be observed within very small areas of the earth's surface, as a rule, it is a band up to 270 km wide, outlined by the moon's shadow - observers in the areas adjacent to the shaded areas see only a partial solar eclipse (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Total solar eclipse, the shadow from the Moon on the surface of the Earth, the dark dotted line indicates the trajectories of the movement of the shadow area

For each specific area, a total solar eclipse is a rarity. In Moscow, for example, the last total solar eclipse was in August 1887 (08/19/1887), and the next one is expected on 10/16/2126. So, sitting in one place, you can never see a total solar eclipse in your life ( however, in August 1887, Muscovites did not see him anyway due to bad weather). Therefore: "If you want to experience an event, do your best to make it happen!" /Slogan of Enthusiasts/
Thank God, in general, total eclipses on the Earth's surface do not happen so rarely, on average, once every one and a half years and make up almost 27% of all eclipse options.

annular solar eclipse

If the trajectory of the Moon passes near the center of the Sun, but the apparent angular diameter of the Moon is less than the solar β < α , then at the moment of alignment of the centers, the Moon cannot completely obscure the Sun and a glow in the form of a ring is created around it, such an eclipse is called an annular eclipse (Fig. 6), but in oral speech, traditionally striving to express the meaning as briefly as possible, the expression annular eclipse was established, i.e. . "annular solar eclipse" is a term, and "annular eclipse" is just jargon so far...

Rice. 6. An annular solar eclipse someday...

Annular (annular) solar eclipses are currently the rarest type of eclipses, accounting for only 5%. But, as we know, the Moon is gradually moving away from the Earth and annular eclipses will happen more and more often.

Why do solar eclipses happen so rarely?

The main reason that solar eclipses in our time do not occur every new moon is that the plane of the Moon's orbit does not coincide with the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth's orbit) and is inclined to it at an angle of 5.145 degrees (Fig. 7, pos. 1). In this figure, as well as in all others, the dimensions of the corners and the ratio of the scales of objects are exaggerated for the sake of clarity of images.

Rice. 7.

Work on the article "Solar eclipses" continues.

Sergey Ov(seosnews9)

Solar eclipses 2019:
January 2019 - Partial solar eclipse ;
July 2019 - total solar eclipse;
December 2019 -(observed in Russia)

06.01.2019 04:28 - New Moon.
This new moon will happenpartial solar eclipse January 6, 2019 at 04:41 MSK, eclipse will be able to observe in eastern Mongolia northeastern China, Korea and Japan, in Russia - in the south of Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.

02.07.2019 22:16 - New Moon.
This new moon will happen total solar eclipse , the eclipse maximum phase will come July 2, 2019 at 10:26 pm MSK, a partial eclipse of the Sun can only be observed in the South Pacific, Central and South America (Chile, Argentina), alas: will not be observed in Russia ...

26.12.2019 08:13 - New Moon.
This new moon will make the inhabitants of the Earth happy with the third solar eclipse of the year - it will be annular solar eclipse (annular), the maximum phase of the eclipse will come December 26, 2019 05:18:53 MSK, an annular eclipse can be observed in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, south of India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Malaysia and Indonesia, private in Central and Southeast Asia, Australia and western Oceania , in Russia, the eclipse will be observed in Transbaikalia and Primorye .

2018:
February 2018 - Partial solar eclipse;
July 2018 - Partial solar eclipse;
August 2018 - Partial solar eclipse (observed in Russia)

16.02.2018 00:05 - New Moon
This new moon will happen partial solar eclipse , the eclipse maximum phase will come 02/15/2018 at 23:52 MSK, a partial eclipse of the Sun can only be observed in Antarctica and southern South America (Chile, Argentina) - summary: in Russia will not be observed.

13.07.2018 05:48 - New Moon ( , (super new moon) - a variant of the translation from the English word "supermoon", the other is "Super Moon". On a new moon, the Moon is usually not visible, but in such cases there are very strong tides, maybe the best translation would be: "Strong Moon"?)
In addition, on this new moon there will be partial solar eclipse , the eclipse maximum phase will come 07/13/2018 at 06:02 MSK. The eclipse can be observed, alas, only in Antarctica on the Budd Coast, the southernmost part of Australia, Tasmania or in the Indian Ocean between Antarctica and Australia - Russia will not see an eclipse .

11.08.2018 12:58 - New moon( , Strong Moon)
On this new moon, it will also happenpartial solar eclipse , the eclipse maximum phase will come August 11, 2018 at 12:47 pm MSK, the eclipse will be visible in northern Canada, Greenland in the Scandinavian countries, in Russia - in the northern and middle latitudes of Central Russia, throughout Siberia and the Far East , northeastern part of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China .

2017: February 2017 - Annular solar eclipse; August 2017 - Total solar eclipse

February 26, 2017 05:58 PM
This winter new moon will happen annular solar eclipse . The maximum phase of the eclipse will come February 26, 2017 at 05:54 PM MSK . An annular eclipse of the Sun can be observed in the south of Argentina and Chile, southwest Angola, and private in the south of South America, Antarctica, western and South Africa - in Russia will not be observed.

August 21, 2017 21:30- astronomical new moon.
This summer new moon will total solar eclipse . The maximum phase of the eclipse will come August 21, 2017 at 09:26 PM MSK. A total eclipse of the Sun can be observed, alas, only in North America in the United States, private in Russia - in Chukotka (the Moon will only slightly touch the Sun); in other countries- in the USA and Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland and the UK, Portugal (at sunset), Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Guinea and Brazil.

March 2016 - Total Solar Eclipse + Supermoon

09 March 2016 04:54 Moscow time - astronomical new moon;
This new moon will happen total solar eclipse, the eclipse maximum phase will come March 09, 2016 at 04:58 MSK, a total eclipse of the Sun can be observed on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Halmahera, private in Russia- in Primorye, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka; in other countries in India, China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, USA and Canada (Alaska) ;

01.09.2016 12:03 - astronomical new moon;
This new moon will happen annular solar eclipse, the eclipse maximum phase will come 01 September 2016 at 12:08 MSK , An annular eclipse can be observed, alas, only in central Africa and Madagascar, and private in all African countries, in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and in the Indian Ocean

March 2015 - Total Solar Eclipse + Supermoon

March 20, 2015 12:36 pm Moscow time - astronomical new moon; ;
A total solar eclipse will occur on this new moon, the maximum phase of the eclipse will occur on March 20, 2015 at 12:46:47 MSK, total eclipse of the sun can be observed in the Faroe Islands, Svalbard and the North Pole, partial eclipse in Russia- throughout the European part and Western Siberia; as well as in Greenland, Europe and Central Asia. ;

* Eclipses, eclipse = Z.

Z. - astronomical phenomena, consisting in the fact that the sun, moon, planet, satellite of the planet or star cease to be visible to the earth observer in whole or in part. Z. are due to the fact that either one celestial body covers another, or the shadow of one non-self-luminous body falls on another similar body. So, the Z. of the Sun are observed when the Moon closes it; Z. Moon - when the shadow of the Earth falls on it; Z. satellites of planets - when they fall into the shadow of the planet; Z. in systems of double stars - when one star covers another. Earth also includes the passage of the shadow of a satellite across the disk of a planet, the occultation of stars and planets by the Moon (so-called occultations), the passage of the inner planets—Mercury and Venus—across the solar disk, and the passage of satellites across the planet’s disk. With the beginning of the flights of manned spacecraft, it became possible to observe the Earth's Sun from these spacecraft (see illustration). Of greatest interest are the z. of the Sun and the Moon, associated with the motion of the Moon around the Earth.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. 1969 - 1978

A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align in a straight line; astronomers call this phenomenon a syzygy. During an eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth, and from the point of view of an earthly observer, the Moon obscures (eclipses) the Sun, partially or completely. Such a celestial phenomenon can only occur during a new moon.

However, solar eclipses do not occur on every new moon because the Moon's orbit is tilted at an angle of 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). The points where the two orbits intersect are called lunar nodes, and solar eclipses occur when a new moon occurs near the lunar node. The sun must be close to the node so that it can form a perfect or nearly perfect straight line with the moon and earth. This period happens twice a year and lasts an average of 34.5 days - the so-called "eclipse corridor".

How many solar eclipses are there in a year?

In one calendar year there can be from two to five solar eclipses, but most often two (once every six months). Five eclipses in one year is a rare occurrence, the last time it happened was in 1935, and the next time will be in 2206.

Types of solar eclipses

According to the astronomical classification, they can be of various types: full, annular and partial. You can see their differences in the photo below. There is also a rare hybrid form where the eclipse starts as an annular eclipse and ends as a total eclipse.

Myths and legends about solar eclipses

Throughout human history, they have been associated with myths, legends and superstitions. In ancient times, they caused fear, they were considered as bad omens that entail disasters and destruction. Therefore, many peoples had a custom to perform magical rituals to ward off possible troubles.

Ancient people tried to understand why the heavenly body sometimes disappears from the sky, so they came up with various explanations for this phenomenon. This is how myths and legends arose:

In ancient India, it was believed that the monstrous dragon Rahu periodically devours the Sun. According to Indian mythology, Rahu stole and tried to drink the drink of the gods - ambrosia, for which he was beheaded. His head flew up to the sky and swallowed the disk of the sun, so that darkness fell.

In Vietnam, people believed that a giant frog ate the Sun, while the Vikings believed that wolves ate it.

There is a legend in Korean folklore about mythical dogs who wanted to steal the Sun.

In ancient Chinese myth, the heavenly dragon ate the sun for lunch.

To get rid of the gluttonous demon, many ancient peoples during a solar eclipse had a custom to gather, beat pots and pans, making a loud noise. It was believed that the noise would scare away the demon, and he would return the heavenly body to its place.

The ancient Greeks viewed the eclipse as a manifestation of the wrath of the gods and were convinced that after it natural disasters and wars should follow.

In ancient China, these celestial phenomena were associated with the success and health of the emperor and did not portend that he would be in any danger.

In Babylon, they believed that eclipses of the Sun were a bad sign for the ruler. But the Babylonians were skillfully able to predict them, and, in order to secure the reigning person, a deputy was chosen for a certain period. He occupied the royal throne and received honors, but his reign did not last long. This was done only so that the temporary king took upon himself the wrath of the gods, and not the real ruler of the country.

Modern beliefs

The fear of solar eclipses has survived to this day, and even in our time, many consider them a bad sign. In some countries, there is a belief that they are dangerous for children and pregnant women, so they need to stay indoors during an eclipse and not look at the sky.

In many parts of India, people fast on the day of the eclipse due to the belief that any food cooked will be unclean.

But not always popular beliefs ascribe to them a bad reputation. For example, in Italy, it is believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse will be brighter and more beautiful than flowers planted on any other day.