Observing The Sun - Celestron EclipSmart TRAVEL SOLAR SCOPE Instruction Manual

OBSERVING THE SUN

SOLAR ECLIPSES
Solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth at least twice a year. There are two kinds of eclipses – partial and total.
A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun and the Moon block part
of the Sun's light. If the Moon happens to be near the far point of its orbit from Earth, a very special form of a partial eclipse
occurs, called an annular eclipse. In an annular eclipse, the Moon will block out most of the Sun's disk, but leaves a
small ring (or annulus) of sunlight surrounding the Moon.
PARTIAL ECLIPSE ANNULAR ECLIPSE TOTAL ECLIPSE
A total eclipse occurs when the moon is close enough to the Earth in its orbit so that it blocks the entire disk of the Sun from
view. The partial phases of a total solar eclipse leading up to totality are incredible to watch. The Moon will fi rst appear
as a small dark dent in the edge of the Sun, growing to a large bite. If you are in the path of totality, the Sun will eventually
become a thin crescent and will disappear completely. For a couple of minutes, daytime turns to deep twilight and bright
stars and planets are visible in the daytime sky. After totality, the process reverses itself as the Sun reemerges from behind
the Moon. It is a sight that should not be missed.
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