The Heavens Above: A Popular Handbook of Astronomy

by J. A. Gillet; W. J. Rolfe

In a partial eclipse of the sun, more or less of one side of the sun's disk is usually concealed, as shown in Fig. 243. Occasionally, however, the centre of the sun's disk is covered, leaving a bright ring around the margin, as shown in Fig. 244. Such an eclipse is called an annular eclipse. An eclipse can be annular only when the cone of the moon's shadow is too short to reach the earth, and then only to observers who are in the central portion of the penumbra.

212. Comparative Frequency of Solar and Lunar Eclipses.—There are more eclipses of the sun in the year than of the moon; and yet, at any one place, eclipses of the moon are more frequent than those of the sun.

There are more lunar than solar eclipses, because, as we have seen, the limits within which a solar eclipse may occur are greater than those within which a lunar eclipse may occur. There are more eclipses of the moon visible at any one place than of the sun; because, as we have seen, an eclipse of the moon, whenever it does occur, is visible to a whole hemisphere at a time, while an eclipse of the sun is visible to only a portion of a hemisphere, and a total eclipse to only a very small portion of a hemisphere. A total eclipse of the sun is, therefore, a very rare occurrence at any one place.

The greatest number of eclipses that can occur in a year is seven, and the least number, two. In the former case, five may be of the sun and two of the moon, or four of the sun and three of the moon. In the latter case, both must be of the sun.

VI. THE THREE GROUPS OF PLANETS.

I. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GROUPS.

213. The Inner Group.—The inner group of planets is composed of Mercury, Venus, the Earth, and Mars; that is, of all the planets which lie between the asteroids and the sun. The planets of this group are comparatively small and dense. So far as known, they rotate on their axes in about twenty-four hours, and they are either entirely without moons, or are attended by comparatively few.

The comparative sizes and eccentricities of the orbits of this group are shown in Fig. 245. The dots round the orbits show the position of the planets at intervals of ten days.

Fig. 245.