Total Solar Eclipses on Other Planets: Exploring Celestial Phenomena Beyond Earth

KOMPAS.com – A total solar eclipse is a dazzling celestial event, in which the moon blocks sunlight from reaching Earth.

Although amazing, we should not see a total solar eclipse directly with the naked eye because it can cause eye damage.

Are there total solar eclipses on other planets?

Launching Live Science, in fact, Earth is not the only planet in the solar system to experience the phenomenon of a total lunar eclipse.

Total solar eclipses can also occur on other planets, provided that planet has a moon large enough to cover the sun’s disk from the planet’s perspective and orbits the planet in the same plane as the sun.

Also read: Why Don’t See a Hybrid Solar Eclipse with the Naked Eye?

A total solar eclipse occurs when a planet, its moon, and the sun align along the same plane, and a substantial moon passes between the planet and the sun blocking sunlight from reaching the planet.

According to Christa Van Laerhoven, postdoctoral fellow of astronomy at the University of British Columbia, Canada, the first thing a solar eclipse requires is the moon. Thus, planets without a moon, Mercury or Venus, will not experience it.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, but both are too small to make a total solar eclipse visible from the Red Planet.

The gas giants, namely Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, can all experience total solar eclipses because they have large moons and the sun appears small to them.

Also read: How Can a Solar Eclipse Damage the Eyes?

However, because these planets are made of gas, it is impossible to stand on their surface and see a solar eclipse.

However, if we have a special spaceship that can hover near a giant, swirling gas planet, we can see a solar eclipse very well.

Jupiter has up to 67 moons, including Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. Because Jupiter’s moons orbit in the same plane as the sun, the planet can experience solar eclipses.

So, what about dwarf planets, like Pluto? Charon (Pluto’s largest moon) is large enough and close enough to Pluto to produce a total solar eclipse on the planet. However, because the same sides of Pluto and Charon always face each other, only one side of Pluto and Charon will experience an eclipse.

Also read: What is the phenomenon of a solar eclipse?

On Earth, the moon is nearly perfect for making eclipses. The moon has the right size, that is, the size that appears to be the same or larger than the apparent size of the sun, as observed from Earth.

This means that when the moon passes in front of the sun, the photosphere (the sun’s outer shell) is covered, but the corona (the sun’s upper atmosphere) remains visible.

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2023-07-29 10:00:00
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