Quote:
Originally Posted by Deephunter
Solar eclipses can be seen at just about any point in the sky, depending on where you are when they occur. The moon would not be visible in close proximity to the sun as the sunlight would be greater than the moon's reflected glare.
I was lucky to witness a total eclipse of the sun waaayy baaackkkkk in 1991. That is one experience I won't ever forget. "Totally" awesome....
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Actually a solar eclipse can only happen at the precise instant of the new moon because that is when the moon is closest to alignment with the sun. If you see a total solar eclipse, then, it will happen at high noon local time. This can be any time by your clock between about 11:00 am and 1:00 pm depending on how close to the center of your time zone you live. At the equator, the path of the total eclipse moves at 1000 miles per hour across the face of the Earth.
You can see a partial eclipse any time between sunrise and sunset.
Also, you do not see the moon because there is no reflected light from the moon during an eclipse. Only the half facing away from you is lit and no portion of the lighted part of the moon can be seen. During the eclipse you will see the moon lit dimly by earthlight, the reflected light off the earth bouncing back to the dark side of the moon.