Types of Eclipses

Types of Eclipses

TSE = Total Solar Eclipse -- Observers in the narrow path of totality (up to 200 miles wide) get the chance to experience daytime darkness and a magnificent view of solar corona. (Duration -- in minutes and seconds -- is the maximum time a stationary observer can observe totality.)

pse = partial solar eclipse -- Visible over wide areas of the globe; direct observation of the Sun (with safe filters or indirect observation device) shows crescent images of Sun. (Coverage percantage indicates maximum obscuration of solar disk.)

ase = annular solar eclipse -- Actually a special case of a partial solar eclipse; within the narrow path of annularity, observers get the chance to see a thin ring of sunlight surrounding the dark Moon. (Duration -- in minutes and seconds -- is the maximum time a stationary observer can observe annularity.)

atse = annular/total solar eclipse -- A combination eclipse that starts out annular, becomes total in the central section of the path, and returns to annular near the end. This type of eclipse always has a very narrow path. (Duration -- in minutes and seconds -- is the maximum time a stationary observer can observe totality.)

TLE = Total Lunar Eclipse -- The full Moon is engulged in the Earth's complete shadow (the umbra), during which the Moon appears a dull reddish color. (Duration -- in hours and minutes -- is the maximum time the Moon remains in the complete shadow.)

ptle = partial lunar eclipse -- Only part of the Moon is passes through the umbra. (Coverage percentage indicates the maximum portion of the lunar disk in the umbra.)

pnle = penumbral lunar eclipse -- The Moon passes only through the partial shadow of the Earth (the penumbra). Darkening of the Moon is negligible.

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