Today, in about 3 hours, the tiny ball of rock, that orbits the larger ball of rock that we live on, will pass directly between us and the immense spherical nuclear furnace that gives us life.
This is possible only because all 3 celestial objects are currently in the same celestial plane, out of all the available space.
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Gin Kangaroo
in reply to Gin Kangaroo • • •Because of this, and the accident of time and space that means that both the optical discs of the tiny ball of rock and the giant ball of nuclear fire are, not just aporiximately equal for us, but perfectly aligned.
(sciencenotes.org/why-the-sun-a…)
Since the earth-moon system, like all aging things, is not fixed in shape, but is slowly increasing its diameter, there will come a time (in a few million yrs) where the disc of the moon will no longer completely cover the solar disc ever again.
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Why the Sun and Moon Are the Same Size in the Sky
Anne Helmenstine (Science Notes and Projects)Gin Kangaroo
in reply to Gin Kangaroo • • •But today, in approximately 3 hours, time and space will align so perfectly that a tiny ball of rock will begin to shade another ball of rock from the light of a nuclear furnace 400 times its size.
The shadow of the tiny ball will sweep in an arc across the bigger ball, in some places COMPLETELY BLOCKING THE LIGHT of the life-giving furnace for over a minute!!!
And I will be standing in one of those places to witness it! So excited.
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#SolarEclipse2026