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Ask an Expert: What Is A Solar Eclipse and How Do I View It?



One thought on “Ask an Expert: What Is A Solar Eclipse and How Do I View It?

  1. A friend of mine and I were at both Saros 130 (Curacao, Feb., 1998) and the recent Saros 145 (Idaho, Aug., 2017). This past Monday afternoon, sitting around the campsite, we debated why time spans varied between contacts. We understand (I think) the variations in time of 2nd to 3rd contact but not the other time spans. With the moon being closer for Saros 130 (based on length of totality), I assumed the time between 1st and 2nd contact would be quicker as well. However, that was not the case.

    Saros 130 magnitude for our location was 1.042 and 1.028 for this past eclipse in Idaho.

    What affects the time variations between the individual contacts? The moon’s speed in relation to its point in its orbit around the Earth?

    Sam Winters
    North Carolina

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