A lunar eclipse occurs at night and a solar eclipse occurs during the day. There are only certain times when either of them can occur. A lunar eclipse can only occur when the moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky — a full moon. Even though there is a full moon each month, obviously a lunar eclipse does not occur on a monthly basis because the Sun isn't exactly in line with the Earth and the moon. The moon's orbit is actually tilted 5 degrees more than that of the Earth; otherwise, we would see a lunar eclipse each month.
We can see lunar eclipses more readily than solar eclipses, and it has to do with proximity. The Moon is much closer to the Earth (well over 300 times closer than the Sun!), so the Earth has a much greater chance of blocking sunlight to the Moon, compared to the Moon blocking light from the Sun. Also, a lunar eclipse can be seen from a greater portion of the Earth. Solar eclipses, on the other hand, are more rare and when they do happen can only be seen by a very narrow segment of people on Earth, for a short period of time.
It is quite safe to watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, while watching a solar eclipse without eyewear protection can seriously damage your eyesight.
This is an example of a Solar Eclipse. ^^
This is an example of a Lunar Eclipse. ^^
What did ancient people use to think the eclipse was?
Eclipses in the ancient times were though of as my different things. In the ancient times, as some of us should, and probably do already know, ancient people didn't know what an eclipse was and couldn't find the scientific reason to it because they didn't have technology. In some ancient places, some people thought that the eclipses were evil omens, but some of them, also didn't. For example the people who built the Stonehenge looked at the eclipse as a good thing, because there is a stone made when an eclipse occurs you can see right through the stone onto it.
Which type of eclipse occurs most often? Why? Are eclipses seen from every
point on Earth?
The eclipse that is more common is the Lunar Eclipse as i have mentioned before. It can be seen by everyone on the night side of the Earth, which for me, or in my opinion, is really cool. While on the other side the solar eclipse can only be seen if you are standing on a particular spot on the Earth. I learned in class that those eclipses are very rare, and that scientists predict for one to happen in 2012. These eclipses are very rare, thus they don't happen often, they usually happen every 6-12 months.
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