Mashable
March 23, 2024
The amazing total solar eclipse is incredible luck. Here's why.
Next month, a rare total solar eclipse will pass over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, giving millions of people the chance to see the moon completely block out the sun, revealing our star's ghostly atmosphere. It's a thrilling event that results from a a very fortuitous coincidence: the sun and moon having almost the exact same angular diameter. "The gist of the coincidence is that the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, and 400 times further away," said University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of astronomy Chris Impey. "Until the modern age of travel, an average person would be unlikely to ever see an eclipse in their lifetime in the place they live, or a place they could get to easily."