An Eclipse is that deprivation of light in a Planet, when another is interposed betwixt it and the Sun. Thus, an eclipse of the Sun is made by the interposition of the Moon at her conjunction, and an eclipse of the Moon is occasioned by the shadow of the Earth falling upon the Moon, when she is in opposition to the Sun.

[Fig. 4.].

Lunar Eclipse.

Let S be the Sun, T the Earth, and ABC its shadow; now if the Moon, when she is in opposition to the Sun, should come into the conical space ABC, she will then be deprived of the solar light, and so undergo an eclipse.

Solar Eclipse.

[Fig. 5.]

In the same manner, when the shadow of the Moon falls upon the Earth (which can never happen but when the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun) that part upon which the shadow falls will be involved in darkness, and the Sun eclipsed. But because the Moon is much less than the Earth, the shadow of the ☽ cannot cover the whole Earth, but only a part of it. Let S be the Sun, T the Earth, ABC the Moon’s orbit, and L the Moon in conjunction with the Sun: Here the shadow of the Moon falls only upon the part DE of the Earth’s surface, and there only the Sun is intirely hid: but there are other parts EF, DG, on each side of the shadow, where the inhabitants are deprived of part of the Solar rays, and that more or less, according to their distance from the shadow. Those who live at H and I will see half of the Sun eclipsed, but in the spaces FM, GN, all the Sun’s body will be visible, without any eclipse. From the preceding figure it appears, that an eclipse of the Sun does not reach a great way upon the superficies of the Earth; but the whole body of the Moon may sometimes be involved in the Earth’s shadow.

[Fig. 6.]

Although the Moon seen from the Earth, and the Earth seen from the Moon, are each alternately, once a month, in conjunction with the Sun; yet, by reason of the inclination of the Moon’s orbit to the ecliptic, the Sun is not eclipsed every new Moon, nor the Moon at every full. Let T be the Earth, DTE an arch of the ecliptic, ALBF, the Moon’s orbit, having the Earth T, in its center; and let AGBG be another circle coinciding with the ecliptic, and A, B, the nodes, or the two points where the Moon’s orbit and the ecliptic cut each other. A the ascending node, and B the descending node. The angle GAL equal to GBL is the inclination of the Moon’s orbit to the ecliptic, being about 5¼ degrees. Now a spectator from the Earth at T, will observe the Sun to move in the circle AGBC, and the Moon in her orbit ALBF; whence it is evident, that the Sun and Moon can never be seen in a direct line, from the center of the Earth, but when the Moon is in one of the nodes A or B; and then only will the Sun appear centrally eclipsed. But if the conjunction of the Moon happens when she is any where within the distance A c of the nodes, either North or South, the Sun will then be eclipsed, more or less, according to the distance from the node A, or B. If the conjunction happens when the Moon is in b, the Sun will be then one half eclipsed; and if it happens when she is in c, the Moon’s limb will just touch the Sun’s disk, without hiding any part of it.

The shadow of the Earth at the place where the Moon’s orbit intersects it, is three times as large as the Moon’s diameter, as in [Fig. 4.] and therefore it often happens that eclipses of the Moon are total, when they are not central: And for the same reason the Moon may sometimes be totally eclipsed for three hours together; whereas total eclipses of the Sun can scarcely ever exceed four minutes.