16 Little Known Facts About Solar Eclipses

During our recent home school study about eclipses, we learned all these interesting little known facts about eclipses.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #1 ~
Eclipses always begin at sunrise at its starting point along its track. They end at sunset, halfway around the world.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #2 ~
As totality approaches, the light filtering through leaves on trees will cast crescent shadows as totality approaches.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #3 ~
A total solar eclipse happens about once every one and a half years.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #4 ~
The shadow of an eclipse travels at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #5 ~
Only a partial solar eclipse can be observed from the North Pole and the South Pole.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #6 ~
About every 18 years and 11 days a nearly identical eclipse happens, because the orbit of the moon finishes precessing around in its orbit plane. They happen one-third of the way around the planet. So after about 54 years, we see an identical eclipse in the same place.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #7 ~
A partial solar eclipse can be seen up to 3,000 miles from the track of totality.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #8 ~
Animals and birds often start going through their preparations to sleep or behave confused during a solar eclipse.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #9 ~
A total solar eclipse happens when our Sun is near one of the nodes of the lunar orbit, while our Moon is at perigee at the same time.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #10 ~
The most solar eclipses (partial, annular, or total) that can occur is five in one year.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #11 ~
A total solar eclipse won't be noticeable until the Moon has covered more than 90 percent of the Sun. When it reaches 99% covered, even in the daytime it will look like twilight in that area.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #12 ~
The longest a total solar eclipse can last is 7.5 minutes.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #13 ~
There are always at least two solar eclipses every year somewhere on the Earth.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #14 ~
The width of the path of totality can be up to 167 miles wide.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #15 ~
Local temperatures can drop 20 degrees or more as the solar eclipse becomes total.

Little Known Fact About Solar Eclipses #16 ~
The next date of a solar eclipse visible in North America will be August 1st 2008.

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