Every year we have a minimum of two solar eclipsesbeing able to reach, in exceptional cases, a a maximum of five.
This year, there will be a partial eclipse of the Sun. this Saturday, the 30th, and another on October 25, the day it will be visible in Europe (from northeastern Spain), northeastern Africa and western Asia.
In addition, this 2022 will also register two total lunar eclipsesone on May 16, which will be visible in the Americas, Europe and Africa, and another on November 8, which will be seen in Asia, Australia, Pacific and the Americas.
First calculations
Solar eclipses, and in particular total eclipses, have always been one of the astronomical phenomena which has generated the most expectation. The phenomenon went from arousing fear among primitive humans – seeing that the Sol mysteriously it was getting darker-, to be understood and its occurrences already calculated by astronomers of ancient Babylon.
But,how does an eclipse occur? Every object in the Solar System projects a shadow in opposite direction to Sun, and therefore it can happen that an object is located in the shadow of another. In the case of planet Earth, eclipses occur when there is a perfect (or almost) alignment of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth itself.
Lunar Eclipse
In the case of a Sun-Earth-Moon alignmentit is our satellite that enters the shadow of the Earth and we have a eclipse of the Moon. If the alignment is Sun-Moon-Earthit is the Moon that leaves us in the shade and a solar eclipse.
Depending on how the Moon stands between the Sun and the Earth, we have the various types of eclipse. The most favorable case is perfect alignment in which, furthermore, Moon and Earth are close. In this case, it is possible to completely cover the solar disk and we speak of a total solar eclipse.
In other cases of perfect alignment, the Moon is far away and does not cover the Sun completely, leaving a visible ring. Hence the name of annular eclipse.
The eclipse now
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Finally, as will happen this Saturday, the alignment is not perfect and only one part of the sun is hidden by the moon: are the so-called partial eclipses. The small size of the Moon, compared to the Earth, means that only a part of the planet can see the same solar eclipse and in the case of totals, only a narrow strip can observe the astronomical phenomenon.
The partial solar eclipse this Saturday can only be seenthen -and whenever time permits-, in different parts of South America -Chile, Argentina and some regions of Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil-, Antarctica, Falkland Islands and in part of the South Pacific Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. The concealment percentage will reach 50% levels from some points in Chile, although it will coincide with sunset, since it will take place between 8:45 p.m. and 12:38 a.m.