Solar Eclipse Reading Answer

Janice Thompson

9 min read

Updated On Aug 14, 2024

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A A solar eclipse (as seen from the planet Earth) is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and when the Moon fully or partially blocks (“occults”) the Sun. This can happen only at a new moon when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth in an alignment referred to as syzygy. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured.

B If the Moon were in a perfectly circular orbit, a little closer to the Earth, and in the same orbital plane, there would be total solar eclipses every month. However, since the Moon’s orbit is tilted at more than 5 degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, its shadow usually misses Earth. The Moon’s orbit must cross Earth’s ecliptic plane in order for an eclipse (both solar as well as lunar) to occur. In addition, the Moon’s actual orbit is elliptical, often taking it far enough away from Earth that its apparent size is not large enough to block the Sun entirely. The orbital planes cross each other at a line of nodes resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses occurring each year; no more than two of which can be total eclipses. However, total solar eclipses are rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth’s surface traced by the Moon’s shadow or umbra.

C An eclipse is a natural phenomenon. However, in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses were attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be frightening to people who are unaware of its astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.

D Historical eclipses are a very valuable resource for historians, in that they allow a few historical events to be dated precisely, from which other dates and ancient calendars may be deduced. A solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BC mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient. There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses. The King Zhong Kang supposedly beheaded two astronomers, Hsi and Ho, who failed to predict an eclipse 4,000 years ago. Perhaps the earliest still-unproven claim is that of archaeologist Bruce Masse, who putatively links an eclipse that occurred on May 10, 2807 BC with a possible meteor impact in the Indian Ocean on the basis of several ancient flood myths that mention a total solar eclipse.

E Eclipses have been interpreted as omens, or portents. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse that occurred during a battle between the Medes and the Lydians. Both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. The exact eclipse involved remains uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, probably near the Halys river in Asia Minor. An eclipse recorded by Herodotus before Xerxes departed for his expedition against Greece, which is traditionally dated to 480 BC, was matched by John Russell Hind to an annular eclipse of the Sun at Sardis on February 17, 478 BC. Alternatively, a partial eclipse was visible from Persia on October 2, 480 BC. Herodotus also reports a solar eclipse at Sparta during the Second Persian invasion of Greece. The date of the eclipse (August 1, 477 BC) does not match exactly the conventional dates for the invasion accepted by historians.

F Chinese records of eclipses begin at around 720 BC. The 4th century BC astronomer Shi Shen described the prediction of eclipses by using the relative positions of the Moon and Sun. The “radiating influence” theory (i.e., the Moon’s light was reflection from the Sun) was existent in Chinese thought from about the sixth century BC (in the Zhi Ran of Zhi Ni Zi), though it was opposed by the 1st century AD philosopher Wang Chong, who made clear in his writing that this theory was nothing new. Ancient Greeks, such as Parmenides and Aristotle, also supported the theory of the Moon shining because of reflected light.

A total solar eclipse plays an important role in Mark Twain’s novel, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”.

G Attempts have been made to establish the exact date of Good Friday by assuming that the darkness described at Jesus’s crucifixion was a solar eclipse. This research has not yielded conclusive results, and Good Friday is recorded as being at Passover, which is held at the time of a full moon. Further, the darkness lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth, or three hours, which is much, much longer than the eight-minute upper limit for any solar eclipse’s totality. In the Western hemisphere, there are few reliable records of eclipses before 800 AD, until the advent of Arab and monastic observations in the early medieval period. The first recorded observation of the corona was made in Constantinople in 968 AD.

H The first known telescopic observation of a total solar eclipse was made in France in 1706. Nine years later, English astronomer Edmund Halley accurately predicted and observed the solar eclipse of May 3, 1715. By the mid-19th century, scientific understanding of the Sun was improving through observations of the Sun’s corona during solar eclipses. The corona was identified as part of the Sun’s atmosphere in 1842, and the first photograph (or daguerreotype) of a total eclipse was taken of the solar eclipse of July 28, 1851. Spectroscope observations were made of the solar eclipse of August 18, 1868, which helped to determine the chemical composition of the Sun.

Questions 28 – 30

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

28 When the moon completely obscures the sun is called

A a total lunar eclipse

B a total solar eclipse

C an annular eclipse

D a partial solar eclipse

29 There are not eclipses more often because

A the moon’s orbit is not circular

B the moon is not in the correct orbital plane

C the perceived size of the moon changes due to its orbit

D all of the above

30 Eclipses were often interpreted

A differently by different races

B as harbingers of doom

C as religious events

D by superstitious people

Questions 31 – 36

Who is associated with the following? Write the correct letter next to each question.

A John Russell Hind

B Chinese Astronomers

C Bruce Masse

D Herodotus

31 The earliest hypothesized eclipse

32 Wrote about the author who predicted an eclipse that occurred whilst the Medes and the Lydians were at war

33 Were predicting eclipses from the 4th century BC

34 Reported an eclipse at Sparta during the Second Persian invasion of Greece

35 Found an eclipse in Sardis that corresponded with the departure of Xerxes recorded by Herodotus

36 Were beheaded for failing to predict an eclipse

Questions 37 – 40

Match the occurrence to the date.

A 1715 AD

B 720 BC

C 1842 AD

D 480 BC

E 1851 AD

37 Chinese began recording eclipses around this date.

38 The first picture of an eclipse was taken with a camera.

39 A partial eclipse visible in Persia related to Xerxes’ invasion of Greece.

40 An Englishman accurately predicted and observed the solar eclipse

Reading Answers

28 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 4 – line 5

Answer explanation: The selected lines says that “In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon.” This tells us that when the moon completely obscures the sun it is called total eclipse. As the paragraph begins with the discussion of a solar eclipse, the answer is B (a total solar eclipse).

29 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2 – line 7

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph B, it is said that “However, since the Moon’s orbit is tilted at more than 5 degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, its shadow usually misses Earth. The Moon’s orbit must cross Earth’s ecliptic plane in order for an eclipse (both solar as well as lunar) to occur. In addition, the Moon’s actual orbit is elliptical, often taking it far enough away from Earth that its apparent size is not large enough to block the Sun entirely.” These lines show that eclipses have become rare or do not occur more often because of all the given options (the moon’s orbit is not circular and not in the correct orbital plane, but is titled and the perceived size of the moon changes due to its orbit). Hence the answer is D (all of the above).

30 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 2.

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph C, it is said that “However, in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses were attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens.” This line points out that in ancient times, eclipses were often interpreted as harbingers of doom or bad omens. Hence the answer is B (as harbingers of doom).

31 Answer: C