SKY Online's Eclipse Page
Above, left: Total eclipse of the Sun, October 24, 1995. Photograph © 1996 Wendy Carlos and Fred Espenak. Above, right: Total eclipse of the Moon, April 3-4, 1996. Photograph by Case Rijsdijk.
HERE YOU'LL FIND information about some recent and upcoming eclipses of the Sun and Moon. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon lies between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on our planet. This can only happen at New Moon. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies between the Sun and Moon, so that Earth's shadow darkens the Moon. This can only happen at Full Moon. For information from the pages of Sky & Telescope -- including tips on how to find and photograph these awesome celestial spectacles yourself -- please choose one of the following. Or see below for selected links to other eclipse-related Web pages.
Lunar Eclipses
- Total eclipse of April 3-4, 1996
- A beautiful eclipse that awed observers in eastern North America, Europe, Africa, and western Asia. Bonus: Time-lapse movie!
- Total eclipse of September 26-27, 1996
- An end-of-summer treat for nearly everyone in the Americas and Western Europe. Here we give only the bare essentials. A more complete preview will appear in the September issue of Sky & Telescope.
Solar Eclipses
Eclipse chasers will have three more opportunities to experience the thrill of totality before the turn of the 21st century. It's time to start planning!
- Total eclipse of March 9, 1997
- Tundra Challenge: Mongolia, Siberia, and (almost) the North Pole.
- Total eclipse of February 26, 1998
- Tropical Respite: the Galapagos, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean Sea, crossing the island paradises of Aruba, Curaçao, and Guadeloupe.
- Total eclipse of August 11, 1999
- Go Continental: Europe's first total eclipse in 38 years, brushing the U.K. and crossing France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Turkey, the Black Sea, and on into Asia.
Here are some links to other eclipse resources on the World Wide Web:
- NASA Solar Eclipse Bulletins
- The most detailed and comprehensive eclipse previews available, prepared by NASA astronomer Fred Espenak and Canadian meteorologist Jay Anderson. Includes movies of past eclipses and animations of future ones.
- Lunar Eclipse Observer
- Help from Down Under for lunar-eclipse chasers.
- Comet Hale-Bopp and the Solar Eclipse
- If Hale-Bopp lives up to expectations, it might be bright enough to be seen in the daytime during the March 9, 1997, total eclipse of the Sun.
The editors of Sky & Telescope are always eager to receive observing reports and images of solar and lunar eclipses. You can send them by e-mail to S&T's Observer's Page or by surface mail to the address at the bottom of this page.
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