First Solar Eclipse in 2 Years!

On Friday, August 1, 2008, there will be a total eclipse of the sun, the first since March 2006, and the first one visible for Canada since 1979. The path of totality (the track of the moon’s umbral shadow across earth) for this eclipse will average 141 miles wide and will begin over Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut (founded in April 1999).

The moon’s umbra (the darkest part of the shadow) will narrowly miss the isolated communities of Cambridge Bay (on Victoria Island) and Resolute (on Cornwallis Island), but the little town of Alert on Ellesmere Island is just inside the northern limit of the shadow path and will experience 40 seconds of totality very early Friday morning.

The only other places in Northern America that will see part of this eclipse is the upper half of Maine and eastern Canada, including the Maritimes. These areas will see the moon put a small “dent” or “bite” in the rising sun, before quickly moving off the sun’s disc soon after sunrise.

The moon’s shadow path will cross northernmost Greenland and pass within 450 miles of the North Pole before heading southward across Russia, Mongolia, and China.

Circumstances of the Eclipse: Partial eclipse begins 4:04 a.m. (EDT); Central eclipse begins 5:24 a.m. (EDT); Greatest eclipse 6:21 a.m. (EDT); Central eclipse ends 7:18 a.m. (EDT); Partial eclipse ends 8:38 a.m. (EDT)

Why do Solar Eclipses Happen?
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the earth and the sun, blocking our view of the sun. It can only occur at a new moon when the moon passes between the earth and sun. If the moon’s shadow happens to fall upon earth’s surface at that time, we see some portion of the sun’s disc covered or “eclipsed” by the moon.

While the new moon occurs every 29 1/2 days, it might seem logical that we should have a solar eclipse once a month. This doesn’t happen though, due to the moon’s orbital tilt around the earth. Due to this tilt, the moon’s shadow usually misses earth as it passes.

Exciting News: Farmers’ Almanac astronomer, Joe Rao, is taking a flight to “chase the moon’s shadow” and will share some first-hand details about this solar eclipse. Stay tuned.