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Why do eclipse tracks move eastward even though the Earth rotates from west to east?

April 26, 2017earth East eastward Eclipse rotates tracks West

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Why do eclipse tracks move eastward even though the Earth rotates from west to east?

1 Answer

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Because the Moon moves to the east in its orbit at 3,400 km/hour. Earth rotates to the east at 1,670 km/hr at the equator, so the lunar shadow moves to the east at 1,730 km/hr near the equator. You cannot keep up with the shadow of the eclipse unless you traveled at Mach 1.5.