• Question: Why do you think the eclipse happened?

    Asked by Xx_MinionMad_xX (KatieWick) to Jillian on 16 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Jillian Scudder

      Jillian Scudder answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      The solar eclipse that was a little while ago in the UK? It happens because the moon is coincidentally the same size in the sky as our sun, which is pretty extraordinary, given the difference in distances and sizes between them. If the sun and the moon line up exactly right, the moon can block all the light from the sun except for the outer atmosphere of the sun, which shows up as the fine tendrils of light surrounding the moon in pictures of the solar eclipse!

      They’re fairly rare, but predictable; I’d love to see one someday soon!

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