Why isn't there a solar eclipse every month?
Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
Explainer
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Context piece
- The Moon orbits Earth approximately once a month, creating a New Moon phase when it passes between the Sun and Earth.
- However, the Moon's orbital plane is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbital plane, meaning a perfect alignment for a solar eclipse is rare.
- Typically, only about one in five New Moons results in a solar eclipse visible somewhere on Earth, occurring on average twice a year.
While the Moon orbits Earth roughly once a month, leading to a New Moon phase where it lies between the Sun and our planet, a solar eclipse does not occur every month. The reason lies in the tilt of the Moon's orbit.
The Moon's orbital path is inclined by approximately 5 degrees compared to Earth's orbit around the Sun. This slight tilt means that the Sun, Moon, and Earth do not form a perfectly straight line during most New Moons. Consequently, the Moon's shadow usually passes slightly above or below Earth, preventing an eclipse.
On average, only about one in five New Moons results in a solar eclipse visible from some part of Earth. These eclipses happen, on average, twice a year. The type of eclipse, total, annular, or partial, depends on the precise alignment of the celestial bodies and the Moon's apparent size from Earth, which varies as its orbit is not perfectly circular.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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