NASA scientists explain where and when the longest solar eclipse in history will be and why it will last so long
Solar eclipses never fail to amaze, and this one is set to be a record-breaker.
Every time they come around, solar eclipses - when the Moon perfectly aligns between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the Sun’s bright disc - never fail to amaze.
The solar phenomenons draw huge crowds across the globe, and while they occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months, it can take nearly half a millennium for them to come around to the same place on the planet.
If you’re lucky they last for minutes, sometimes just a few seconds, but they never fail to amaze humankind from the safety - hopefully - of their specialised viewing glasses.
As for the longest-ever solar eclipse, that’s coming some time in the future, and thanks to the boffins in NASA HQ, they’ve been able to work out when it is. Unfortunately, I think only Walt Disney and the ageless Anne Hathaway will be able to see it, as we’ll have to wait until the year 2186 by the time it comes around.
NASA’s explanation is as follows:
“Total solar eclipses last anywhere from 10 seconds to about 7.5 minutes. In the span of 12,000 years from 4000 BCE to 8000 CE, the longest total solar eclipse will occur on July 16, 2186, and will last 7 minutes 29 seconds. Its path will sweep across Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana. The shortest total solar eclipse happened on Feb. 3, 919 CE, and lasted just 9 seconds.”
As for the next solar eclipse, that will be on September 21, 2025, and will be visible from New Zealand and Antarctica. After that, we have to wait until August 12, 2026 for the following one that passes over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.
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