Last and Only Total Solar Eclipse of 2021: Why It Happens Weeks Before, After Lunar Eclipse

The last solar eclipse of the year will occur on December 4, 2021. Antarctica will be the only site on Earth where the total solar eclipse will be observed on that day.

A total or partial eclipse of the sun will be visible to people in the Southern Hemisphere, NDTV said. The countries include: Australia, Chile, Crozet Islands, Falkland Islands, Lesotho, Namibia, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Sandwich Islands, South Africa, and South Georgia will see the partial solar eclipse.

Because the eclipse will cover such a broad area, it will happen before, during, and after dawn or sunset in different parts of the world. It implies that spectators must have a good view of the horizon during sunrise or sunset to witness the eclipse.

NASA will be broadcast live on YouTube and NASA Live. The webcast will begin at 1:30 a.m. EST, with totality starting at 2:44 a.m. EST and ending at 3:37 a.m. EST.

The next complete solar eclipse won't happen until April 8, 2024 in the United States (and the rest of North America), Fatherly said. That may seem far away, but in terms of eclipses, it's only a few months after the previous one in 2017.

Solar Eclipse Explained

iNews UK said a total eclipse appears as a dazzling ring of light called an annulus or "ring of fire." When the sun and moon are aligned with the Earth. In contrast, a partial eclipse appears as a crescent.

Only when there is a new moon may it happen. Although the sun's diameter is 400 times more significant than the moon's, the moon is 400 times closer to us. As a result, it's a fortunate coincidence.

Every 18 months or so, a total solar eclipse may be seen somewhere on Earth. They usually last barely a few minutes.

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Why Solar Eclipse Usually Happens 2 Weeks Before Or After A Lunar Eclipse

Every year, there are at least four eclipses: two lunar and two solars. During each eclipse season, which lasts around 34 to 35 days, there usually are two or three eclipses, at least one solar. According to timeanddate.com, the order is determined by how an eclipse season corresponds to the lunar month.

ABP Live said a lunar month lasts 29.5 days on average, or five days shorter than an eclipse season when the moon travels through all of its phases from one New Moon to the next. That is why each eclipse season has at least one New Moon, which results in a solar eclipse, and at least one Full Moon, which causes a lunar eclipse.

This explains why a solar eclipse occurs two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse and vice versa.