APOD: Solar Eclipse from Western Australia (2023 Apr 21)

[APOD Robot]

Solar Eclipse from Western Australia

Explanation: Along a narrow path that mostly avoided landfall, the shadow of the New Moon raced across planet Earth's southern hemisphere on April 20 to create a rare annular-total or hybrid solar eclipse. A mere 62 seconds of totality could be seen though, when the dark central lunar shadow just grazed the North West Cape, a peninsula in western Australia. From top to bottom these panels capture the beginning, middle, and end of that fleeting total eclipse phase. At start and finish, solar prominences and beads of sunlight stream past the lunar limb. At mid-eclipse the central frame reveals the sight only easily visible during totality and most treasured by eclipse chasers, the magnificent corona of the active Sun. Of course eclipses tend to come in pairs. On May 5, the next Full Moon will just miss the dark inner part of Earth's shadow in a penumbral lunar eclipse.

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[orin stepanek]

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I like it when the whole sun is covered! Nice job Luna!

[Doctormhl1]

When a viewer on Earth observes a total solar or lunar eclipse, both spheres appear to be exactly the same size. We know that the sun is much larger than the moon but is much, much farther in distance from the Earth than the moon. What are the odds that the positioning of the sun and moon in the sky in such a manner as to produce the phenomenal appearance of spheres of equal size is an accident? Or is it rather the result of the plan and purpose of a super human Intellect?

[Fred the Cat]

When a viewer on Earth observes a total solar or lunar eclipse, both spheres appear to be exactly the same size. We know that the sun is much larger than the moon but is much, much farther in distance from the Earth than the moon. What are the odds that the positioning of the sun and moon in the sky in such a manner as to produce the phenomenal appearance of spheres of equal size is an accident? Or is it rather the result of the plan and purpose of a super human Intellect?

If so, I think they screwed up. I wish the moon was closer, like it used to be, so eclipses would last longer.

[Chris Peterson]

When a viewer on Earth observes a total solar or lunar eclipse, both spheres appear to be exactly the same size. We know that the sun is much larger than the moon but is much, much farther in distance from the Earth than the moon. What are the odds that the positioning of the sun and moon in the sky in such a manner as to produce the phenomenal appearance of spheres of equal size is an accident? Or is it rather the result of the plan and purpose of a super human Intellect?

The Moon has shifted outward in its orbit considerably since it formed, and continues to move outward. The equal angular size of the Sun and the Moon is a transient condition in the time scale of the Solar System.

You could argue that any given size relationship between the two is a coincidence of astronomical unlikelihood. 1:1 is as statistically reasonable as 1:2 or 3.14159:1 or anything else.

[Chris Peterson]

When a viewer on Earth observes a total solar or lunar eclipse, both spheres appear to be exactly the same size. We know that the sun is much larger than the moon but is much, much farther in distance from the Earth than the moon. What are the odds that the positioning of the sun and moon in the sky in such a manner as to produce the phenomenal appearance of spheres of equal size is an accident? Or is it rather the result of the plan and purpose of a super human Intellect?

If so, I think they screwed up. :evil: I wish the moon was closer, like it used to be, so eclipses would last longer. :(

But if it was too much closer it would cover a lot of the corona, and you wouldn't ever get that ring of fire from prominences.

[johnnydeep]

When a viewer on Earth observes a total solar or lunar eclipse, both spheres appear to be exactly the same size. We know that the sun is much larger than the moon but is much, much farther in distance from the Earth than the moon. What are the odds that the positioning of the sun and moon in the sky in such a manner as to produce the phenomenal appearance of spheres of equal size is an accident? Or is it rather the result of the plan and purpose of a super human Intellect?

If so, I think they screwed up. I wish the moon was closer, like it used to be, so eclipses would last longer.

But if it was too much closer it would cover a lot of the corona, and you wouldn't ever get that ring of fire from prominences.

Yeah, but high and low tides would be so much more significant!

[Chris Peterson]

If so, I think they screwed up. :evil: I wish the moon was closer, like it used to be, so eclipses would last longer. :(

But if it was too much closer it would cover a lot of the corona, and you wouldn't ever get that ring of fire from prominences.

Yeah, but high and low tides would be so much more significant! :ssmile:

Especially as tides are not limited to the oceans. The land is deformed, as well, and stronger tides could have significant tectonic implications.