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Last Post 3/23/2012 3:10 PM by  Igor Ruderman
Solar Eclipse vs. Annular Eclipse
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Anonymous





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3/23/2012 10:56 AM

    Does an annular eclipse mean the same thing as a partial solar eclipse?

    Tags: eclipse, Partial Eclipse, Annular Eclipse

    Dawn Myers



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    Posts:151
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    3/23/2012 12:40 PM
    An annular eclipse is when the Sun and the Moon are exactly in line. The apparent size of the Moon is smaller then that the Sun so the Sun appears as a very bright ring surrounding the outline of the Moon. A partial eclipse is when the Sun and the Moon are not exactly in line and the Moon only blocks part of the Sun.

    Terry Kucera



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    Posts:328
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    3/23/2012 12:47 PM

    Hi. Not quiet. In a regular partial eclipse part of the Sun is covered by the Moon. So it might look sort of like this (to show some particularly dramatic photos):

    http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090128.html or http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110105.html

    In an annular eclipse the moon is just a bit too far away (or the Earth is a bit to close to the Sun) for the moon to completely cover the Sun, so that at the maximum of the eclipse the moon covers an area in the middle of the Sun, with bright sun visible all around it (this ring is called an annulus):

    http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100122.html or http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020610.html


    Igor Ruderman



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    3/23/2012 3:10 PM

    Just to add to what was said before me. An annular eclipse is also one particular type of partial eclipse as opposed to a total eclipse which covers all of the Sun completely.

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