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Last Post 2/27/2007 11:05 AM by Lyndsay Fletcher

eclipses

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2/26/2007 4:55 PM
jennifer m (dm) how many degrees can the temperature on earth change during a solar eclipse? and what about if you were on the moon?

Lyndsay Fletcher

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2/27/2007 11:05 AM
Hi Jennifer Good question! I have seen reports of the temperature at the Earth's surface decreasing by about 2-5 degrees centigrade, which is about 5-11 degrees Fahrenheit, with the coldest time occurring just after totality. The temperature change is different at different heights in the atmosphere though. On the moon there is no atmosphere so no blanketing. I don't know if there have been any measurements of the temperature change, but I found an old paper from 1964 where it was calculated, and it looks like a temperature change of around 100-200 degrees centigrade (190-380 F) would happen. Strictly speaking there are no 'solar eclipses' on the moon (which is the moon blocking out the sun, as seen from the Earth); instead there are lunar eclipses (the Earth blocking out the Sun, as seen from the moon). But I know what you mean.