14 interesting facts about Solar eclipses

1. There are at least 2 solar eclipses per year somewhere on Earth. The most times a solar eclipse can occur during a year is five.
2. It is safe to observe the total phase of a solar eclipse directly with the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope, only when the Sun's photosphere is completely covered by the Moon. During this period the Sun is too dim to be seen through filters. The Sun's faint corona will be visible, and the chromosphere, solar prominences, and possibly even a solar flare may be seen. However, viewing the Sun after totality can be dangerous.
3. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered.
4. A total solar eclipse can only happen if the Moon covers more than 90% of the Sun.
5. The longest duration of a solar eclipse is about 7.5 minutes. The maximum time a lunar eclipse can last is about 3.5 hours.
6. Lunar eclipses are visible over an entire hemisphere. Solar eclipses, on the other hand, are visible only in a narrow patch of land about 167 miles wide.
   
7. Total solar eclipses happen about once every 1.5 years. Lunar eclipses can occur up to 3 times a year.
8. The cycle of solar eclipses repeats about every 18 years and 11 days. This is because the moon completes a total orbit. This is called the Saros Cycle
9. The shadow of an eclipse can travel at up to 1,100 miles an hour at the equator, and about 5,000 miles per hour near the poles.
10. By studying ancient records of solar eclipses, astronomers have detected a 0.001 second per century slowing down in the Earth’s rotation.
11. Every eclipse begins at sunrise at some point in its track and ends at sunset about half way around the world from the start point.
12. Local temperatures can drop by 20 degrees or more near totality.
13. Local animals and birds often prepare for sleep or behave confusedly during totality (total eclipse).
14. The first credible records of solar eclipses date back to about 753 B.C., in Assyria.