The eclipse is the phenomenon that happens when a star, a planet or a satellite passes in front of another object which thus becomes totally or partially hidden.
An eclipse can be "total" if the eclipsed body is completely covered, "partial" when part of the eclipsed body always remains visible.
An observer on Earth can see Solar and Lunar eclipses.
An eclipse can take place when the Moon crosses the Sun-Earth line.

• Solar eclipse: the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth
  (Sun-Moon-Earth alignment)
• Lunar eclipse: the Moon passes through the shadow of the Earth
  (Sun-Earth-Moon alignment)

Eclipses of the Sun can take place during New Moon while eclipses of the Moon can take place during Full Moon.
An observer on Earth will see the phenomenon in different ways depending on his geographic position.



If an observer, during a Solar eclipse, is in a place in the exact direction of the Sun-Moon alignment (a strip less than 280 km wide of the Earth surface) he will see a total (or annular) eclipse; instead, if he finds himself a little distant from this strip then he will see a partial eclipse. In this last case, in fact, the Moon passes in front of the Sun but it will not completely cover it.

Here follow a simulation of the June 21 2001 eclipse:

The October 3 2005 eclipse was a partial one from our site, Catania (Italy).
The center of the eclipse was at 11:22 local saving time (9:22 UT) and an observer from our site saw 72% of the Sun surface covered by the Moon.
In Europe the eclipse was best seen from some Spanish sites.

Eclipse Simulation

animated gif (1 Mb):


Useful web pages:

• http://www.eclisse2005.it/
• http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/ASE2005/ASE2005.html
• http://www.oact.inaf.it/astroutilities/index.php