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A rare, spectacular total eclipse of the sun - Andy Cohen

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How can the tiny moon eclipse the sight of the gargantuan sun? By sheer coincidence, the disc of the sun is 400x larger than the disc of the moon, but the sun is 390x farther from Earth -- which means that when they align just right, the moon blocks all but the sun's glowing corona. Andy Cohen details this extraordinary celestial phenomenon (and when it will next occur).

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  • Educator Andy Cohen
  • Animator Bevan Lynch
  • Narrator Brian Bender
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by TED-Ed

Imagine seeing a total solar eclipse without any knowledge of astronomy; you don’t know that Earth orbits the Sun, or the Moon orbits Earth.

What explanations could you make for this?

Comments are closed on this discussion.


Avatar for Azeyl Booth
Lesson completed

the earth is about to end, lots of war about to happen


Avatar for Sheldon Polston
Lesson in progress

in response to The Astronomy master Show comment

i agree with John conner. ur stupid


Avatar for Sheldon Polston
Lesson in progress

who is the astronomy master?


Avatar for Sheldon Polston
Lesson in progress

what? how does this go with solar eclipses?


Avatar for Kane Lueckenhoff
Lesson completed

I would be confused and would look at the sun and go blind because I didn't know that the sun was dangerous.


Avatar for Bella Walk
Lesson completed

I would just enjoy it, I would of never worried about hoe it happens.


Avatar for Taylor Smith
Lesson in progress

I would be scared because I wouldn't know what was going on.


Avatar for aya y.z
Lesson in progress

I have seen a few unique responses in here that i moslty agree with. If it was the first time i saw a solar eclipse i would have thought about an epocalipse or about the world ending. After watching an eclipse for a couple of times I would definitely think it had something to do with God a some major sins i comitted. The historical and geographical perspective is important in this regard. If i would have watched it during ancient times in Mesopotamia or Egypt or later on in China i would have interpreted it diffrently than today.


Avatar for Landyn Brock
Lesson completed

I would just assume something is blocking the sun maybe a comet

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