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Whenever a total solar eclipse occurs, almost all media front pages will publish the news, attracting a large number of spectators to watch this astronomical spectacle outdoors, and many popular science people will personally explain the principles and observation techniques of the solar eclipse when the solar eclipse occurs.
On Earth, observing a solar eclipse is amazing, and when the Moon completely blocks the Sun, one observes a total solar eclipse.
Scientists often wonder if Earth is not the only planet that can see a total solar eclipse, but is there a planet other than Earth that can see a total solar eclipse?
And which planets in the solar system can see eclipses?
What would a total solar eclipse look like on Earth on other planets?
So, what other planets in the solar system can see a solar eclipse besides Earth?
1. How a total solar eclipse is formed.
A total solar eclipse is a magical astronomical phenomenon that occurs because the Earth and the Moon happen to meet the following three conditions: first, the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are exactly in a straight line;
The second is that the moon is exactly between the earth and the sun at this time, but in order to form a total solar eclipse, the moon must meet the third condition, that is, the moon must be both farther away from the earth and farther than the sun, and closer than the earth.
When these three conditions are met, the Moon travels between the Earth and the Sun, and the sun's light on the hemisphere on the surface of the moon does not become dark because the moon itself has no light, but the moon is illuminated by the sun's rays.
However, when the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun, the sun's rays cannot reach the ground and form shadows, but when the Moon completely blocks the sun's rays, a total solar eclipse will occur on the Earth.
The diameter of the Moon is about 3,500 kilometers, and the diameter of the Sun is 109 times larger than that of the Moon, with a diameter of about 390,000 kilometers, the distance between the Moon and the Earth is about 384,000 kilometers, and the distance between the Earth and the Sun is about 1.5 billion kilometers, that is, the diameter and distance of the Moon make it perfect to block the Sun.
But if you want to talk about the planet that can see the solar eclipse, in addition to the Earth, there is also Mars.
A solar eclipse seen on Mars is not the same as a solar eclipse seen on Earth.
Unlike the Earth, where the Earth's satellite is the Moon, which is about 1/4 the size of the Earth, the satellites on Mars are smaller than the Earth's satellites.
Mars has two moons, one is Phobos and the other is Phobos.
The diameter of Phobos is only 20 kilometers, and the diameter of Phobos is only 10 kilometers, which also means that when Phobos completely blocks the sun's rays, the satellite will block 9% of the sun's surface area, compared to 6% of Phobos.
Phobos and Deimos also have relatively modest orbits, so the frequency of eclipses is relatively high, and if you are lucky enough to see these eclipses on Mars, it must be a very dreamy sight.
Before the total solar eclipse occurs, the sun is like a lantern that is obscured, with only a bright ring of fire.
This is because both moons on Mars are irregularly shaped and have no atmosphere, so they cast irregular shadows.
The shape of Deimos and Deimos is like two irregular stones, both of which are shaped like turtle shells, while Deimos looks like an oval stone because it is relatively flat.
Phobos, on the other hand, is exactly the same size as the sun when blocking the sun's rays, and because Phobos has irregular outlines, the sun seen during a solar eclipse looks like a covered lantern.
During a solar eclipse, only 6% of the ring of fire can be seen.
When a solar eclipse can be seen by both Deimos and Deimos, it must be a case where Deimos slowly slides from above to below.
2. What other planets other than Mars can see solar eclipses?
Mars is not the only planet where solar eclipses can be seen, and eclipses can also be seen on other planets, but due to factors such as the size and distance of the planets, total solar eclipses have their own characteristics.
Solar eclipses seen on Venus and Mercury are similar to those seen on Earth, but because Venus and Mercury are smaller relative to Earth and farther away from the Sun, the Sun will be seen smaller.
Although the eclipse seen from space is not as grandiose, the eclipse seen on Venus, Mercury, will see a more fiery fire effect due to its closer proximity to the Sun.
Io and Europa, which are moons orbiting Jupiter, are only 30 km and 20 km in diameter, Jupiter's moons are still relatively small compared to other planets and moons, but because they are farther away from the Sun than the Earth, the Sun will be seen smaller.
Europa, on the other hand, is peculiar in that there are occasional solar eclipses between Callistos due to bizarre orbits and no regularity, but this is not very clear as there are no records.
Enceladus has a diameter of 500 kilometers, so the eclipse seen must be spectacular, but because Saturn is farther away from the Sun, the eclipse will be seen a little smaller.
3. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth looks at the Moon.
When we stand on Earth and look at the Moon, the apparent diameter of the Earth and the Sun seen from the Moon is about 3.65 times the apparent diameter of the Full Moon seen on Earth.
Then when the lunar eclipse occurs, the earth is in the penumbra region, and the apparent diameter of the earth seen at this time is about 2.45 times the apparent diameter of the full moon seen on the earth, the earth seen is very bright, and you will see a shadow moving slowly, and when the earth completely blocks the sun, what you see on the moon is a total solar eclipse.
From the Earth's perspective from the Sun, the Sun's angular diameter is about 38.5 times that of the Moon, so as long as a celestial body less than 38.5 times the angular diameter passes by, a solar eclipse will occur.
When a total solar eclipse occurs, the Moon has a large definite shadow, and this shadow is the umbra, and the Moon will see a total solar eclipse in the umbra, and the Earth will see the phenomenon of a solar eclipse.
But when the Earth looks at the Moon, when the Moon completely blocks the sun's rays, the Earth will produce a very small umbra area, and as long as the Moon is in this umbra area, the Earth can see the phenomenon of solar eclipses.
When the Moon looks at the Earth, the Earth Day receives the sun's light at this time, and the Moon itself will have a small sun's light, but because the Moon has no atmosphere, even if the Moon sees the Earth, there will be no halo, and the gloss of the Earth seen is also very small, generally 10% in diameter.
When the earth looks at the moon, the apparent diameter of the earth is 1.88 times that of the moon, but because the earth has an atmosphere, there will be some halos, so the maximum halo is generally 1.2 times.
epilogue
A total solar eclipse is not only an astronomical spectacle, but also a reflection of the motion and interrelationship between the planets and moons in the solar system.
Through the observation and study of total solar eclipses, it can promote people's understanding and exploration of the universe, celestial movements, and optical phenomena.
The occurrence of a total solar eclipse is also a reminder of the delicate balance and interaction between the Sun, Earth, and Moon, as well as the precise harmony of various factors in the universe.