What+is+a+solar+eclipse?

=What is a solar eclipse?=

During a solar eclipse there are two shadows that show up on the side of the earth.The inner darker shadow is called the Umbra.Also there is a secondary, less intense shadow called the Penumbra. In the U.S, of the many solar eclipses that will happen this century there will be ones happening in 2017 and 2024. The minimum amount of solar eclipses in a year is a number of four..The maximum amount of solar eclipses in a year is a number of Seven.Scientists estimate that there will be about 240 solar eclipses happening this century.These events last about 7:30 and solar eclipses can only take place on the phase of a new moon. .The sun is behind the Earth so the moon casts a shadow on what is exactly in front of it,so that is why the Earth always has a shadow on it during a solar eclipse( because the Earth is always directly in front of the moon.) Really, a solar eclipse is like your regular shadow that you throw on the ground on a sunny day but much, much bigger. Because the sun is about 400 times as far away from earth as the moon and is about 400 times the diameter, so the two objects appear as though they are they are the same size. That is why solar eclipses look and happen the way they do. If you open the link here you will find a quiz