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A lunar eclipse can be seen from about half the Earth - wherever the Moon is visible when the eclipse occurs.

A solar eclipse can only be seen wherever the Moon's shadow falls on Earth. Note that the Moon is quite a bit smaller than the Earth.

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14y ago
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11y ago

A solar eclipse occurs when the shadow of the moon passes over the surface of the earth. A lunar eclipse occurs when the shadow of the earth passes over the moon. Solar eclipses are less frequent for a few reasons but the main one is that the moon is much smaller than the earth and thus has a smaller shadow - which means less chance for the shadow to pass over the earth.

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11y ago

Averaged over a substantial period of time, the numbers of solar and lunar eclipses

are virtually identical. But your chances of seeing a lunar eclipse are much greater

than your chance of seeing a total solar one, because . . .

-- During a lunar eclipse, the part of the Earth over which it's visible is . . .

the entire night side of the Earth.

-- During a total solar eclipse, the part of the Earth over which it's visible is . . .

a path that's always less than a couple of hundred miles wide.

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11y ago

More people see lunar eclipses than solar eclipses because to see a solar eclipse you have to be within a very small band an the Earth's surface while a lunar eclipse can be seen by all who are on the night side of the Earth.

The lunar eclipse is the Earth's shadow falling on the Moon and the Earth's shadow subtends a greater angle ("is bigger") than the lunar disk, so there are more places more the Moon to "fit." Think of covering a dime with a half-dollar.

A solar eclipse is the Moon covering the Sun and the Moon and Sun - by a remarkable cosmic coincidence - are the same apparent size from the Earth so a near-perfect fit is required. (Covering a dime with another dime) In fact, sometimes the Moon is a little too far away and a bit of the Sun shows even when the centers are perfectly aligned. (Covering a cent with a dime). This is NOT a total eclpse, but an "annular" ("ring") eclipse.

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More importantly, a lunar eclipse happens ON THE MOON, and can be seen from the entire night hemisphere of the Earth. A solar eclipse is the Moon's shadow ON THE EARTH, and can only been seen in a fairly small path across the surface of the Earth.

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11y ago

a total lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere on earth where the moon is visible so you are more likely to see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse

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IS DIS CORRECT?!?!?!
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PLZ SAY IT IS PLZ
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this wud be expected to be correct, plz test answers
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DISH BD
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has thee hv earbuds?
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the corona plague XD
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WHO KEPS MAKING MSGS
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what is hapening? this is good site btw kep it up thx

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16y ago

because moon has to be exactly between sun and moon

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11y ago

You are less likely to see a total solar eclipse because a lunar eclpise can be seen anywhere on earth that the moon is visible. A total solar eclipse however can't

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Q: Why are you less likely to see a total solar eclipse than a total lunar eclipse?
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Related questions

Why are you are less likely to see a total solar eclipse than a total lunar eclipse?

a total lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere on earth where the moon is visible so you are more likely to see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse


Why do people see a total lunar eclipse more than a solar eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere on Earth where the moon is visible..so you are more likely to see a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse.


Which are you more likely to experience total Solar eclipsefull moontotal lunar eclipse or a partial lunar eclipse?

I would rather experience A Moon Total Lunar Eclipse


How long did the 2007 total solar eclipse in the US last for?

There were no total solar eclipses during 2007. There was one total lunar eclipse, one partial lunar eclipse, and two partial solar eclipses.


You are less likely to see a total solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse because?

A solar eclipse can only be seen along a narrow strip of Earth's surface. A lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere where the Moon is above the horizon - i.e., about half of the Earth.


If you are in the Moon's umbral shadow what will one witness?

A total solar eclipse


Is there a solar or lunar eclipse this year?

2012 May 20: Annular Solar Eclipse 2012 Jun 04: Partial Lunar Eclipse 2012 Nov 13: Total Solar Eclipse 2012 Nov 28: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse


Why people observe a total lunar eclipse rather than a total solar eclipse?

If there is a total lunar eclipse, everybody sees it as total. If there is a total solar eclipse, only people in a small part of Earth see it as total - most will see it as a partial eclipse, or not at all.


Why do more people see a total lunar eclipse then a tootle solar eclipse?

More people can see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse because to see the complete solar eclipse you must be in a locations directly underneath it so your point of view and angle of the moon is correct. It doesn't matter as much as to where you are for a lunar eclipse...


When was the total eclipse happen this year?

Eclipses in 2012 . . . -- May 20 . . . Annular solar eclipse -- June 4 . . . Partial lunar eclipse -- November 13 . . . Total solar eclipse -- November 28 . . . Penumbral lunar eclipse First one in 2013 . . . -- April 25 . . . Partial lunar eclipse


A 7 letter word for solar lunar or total?

Eclipse.


Why do people see a total solar eclipse more often than a total lunar eclipse?

It's the other way around; more people can see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse. The reason is that a lunar eclipse happens on the Moon; it is visible from half of the Earth's surface. A solar eclipse occurs along a narrow track across the Earth, and 75% of the Earth's surface is oceans.