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Why do partial eclipses of the moon occur more frequently than the total solar eclipse?

April 26, 2017Eclipse eclipses moon occur partial solar total

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Why do partial eclipses of the moon occur more frequently than the total solar eclipse?

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Also affecting this are the shapes of the orbits; both are elliptic, so the distance from moon to earth and earth to sun varies. When the moon is further away and the sun is nearer, we do not see a total eclipse either – just something called an annular eclipse (because of the large ring of light created around the moon). When the moon is closer and the sun further away, we finally have the chance to see a total eclipse.