Question Non solar/lunar eclipses in our solar system

Catastrophe

"Science begets knowledge, opinion ignorance.
Those with a metaphysical bent may see some amazing coincidence in our Earth Moon system which allows total eclipses. Coincidence it is, of course, as the Moon is slowly moving away, and eventually "totality" will include a wide bright halo.

BUT what about other members of our Solar System? Do any other moons or planets mimic our Earthbound experience?

Cat :)
 
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Wolfshadw

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Mercury and Venus have no moons, so not there.
Mars has two small moons that are not large enough to provide totality, so not there.
Jupiter and Saturn's moons are large enough to create shadows on the cloud tops, so I assume that if you were some distance within the atmosphere's of either of those planets, you might find that balance of totality.
Not sure about Uranus or Neptune.

-Wolf sends
 
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Catastrophe

"Science begets knowledge, opinion ignorance.
AHA! But what if you have more than one moon. I think you are correct to discount Mars, although what about, seen from Mars, Phobos obscuring Deimos. Can it happen? But still not a "total eclipse", more of an occultation.

"An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer." Wiki.

Cat :)
 
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Catastrophe

"Science begets knowledge, opinion ignorance.
Here is a clue, with names withheld:

Quote
. . . . . . . . . perform their elegant dance; twice every * year, or once every * * approximately, the Earth is aligned to * and * for * *; and Earth-based astronomers can observe * and * mutually eclipse each other at intervals of nearly * days.
Quote Wiki Emphasis by Wiki.

Cat :)
 
I’ve read that there are no other total eclipse events for other planets, but I accept that on logic rather than verifying the claim.

The size of the Moon relative to the sizeof Earth is highly unusual. One exception will be with Pluto and Charon, which no doubt could produce totality.
 
Last edited:
Nov 13, 2020
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Those with a metaphysical bent may see some amazing coincidence in our Earth Moon system which allows total eclipses. Coincidence it is, of course, as the Moon is slowly moving away, and eventually "totality" will include a wide bright halo.

BUT what about other members of our Solar System? Do any other moons or planets mimic our Earthbound experience?

Cat :)
This situation is provisory, because the distance Earth- Moon progressively increases because of tidal forces. In a far future there will be no total eclipses but only anular. In the remote past the Moon was nearer to Earth, and the suyb corona was not visible during total eclipses.
 
Until a few billion years from now when the earth’s rotation slows down until one side faces the moon all the time, about 47 days long. By then, it’ll be about time for the sun to puff up into a red giant and maybe swallow us all up.
 
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Catastrophe

"Science begets knowledge, opinion ignorance.
Helio, post #9: "Given their very long orbital period around the Sun, the time between eclipses is terrible."

Ah! but during those periods:
"To an observer located on Pluto during such periods of mutual eclipses, Charon would eclipse the Sun every 6.4 days. Charon would also be eclipsed by the shadow of Pluto every 6.4 days. Likewise, an observer on Charon would observe a solar eclipse by Pluto every 6.4 days. The mutual eclipses last five years."

Cat :)
 
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Helio, post #9: "Given their very long orbital period around the Sun, the time between eclipses is terrible."

Ah! but during those periods:
"To an observer located on Pluto during such periods of mutual eclipses, Charon would eclipse the Sun every 6.4 days. Charon would also be eclipsed by the shadow of Pluto every 6.4 days. Likewise, an observer on Charon would observe a solar eclipse by Pluto every 6.4 days. The mutual eclipses last five years."
Yes, but the eclipse periods would only occur twice during the ~250 year orbit period. :). Charon, seen from Pluto, appears over 10x larger than we see the Moon, but its orbit is inclined ~60 deg. to Pluto’s orbit.
 
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