Hi Rebecca,

There is an enormous difference in the length of time of a total lunar eclipse and a total solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse happens only when the Moon is full, and the lunar eclipse is visible from basically everywhere on the night side of the Earth. As long as the Moon is within the Earth's shadow, everyone on the night side of the Earth will see the eclipse. It takes about 1 hour and 42 minutes for the Moon to travel through the deepest part of the Earth's shadow, so this is the maximum period of totality for a lunar eclipse. For a total solar eclipse, totality can last for only up to about 7 minutes and 30 seconds. A solar eclipse is only visible in a narrow strip on the Earth's surface, called the eclipse path. This is because the size of the dark spot on the Earth's surface created by the Moon's shadow is only about 65 miles in diameter. The dark spot will move across the surface of the Earth very rapidly due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis, so a total solar eclipse lasts for only a short period of time. These times are only the maximum possible lengths of totality based upon the Moon's orbital motions and the speed of the Earth's rotation. Most eclipses have shorter periods of totality.

Kris