iamjulian Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 We get a solar eclipse when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, and because the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon and (almost) 400 times further away, they appear roughly the same size.Is the sun 400 times further away and 400 times bigger than the moon for any scientific reason or just by chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talitha Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 It's pure chance. Our Moon is quite large compared to the other planets satellites, and happens to (presently) be the perfect distance from us to completely cover the Sun during a total eclipse (it doesn't totally cover the Sun during an annular eclipse). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamjulian Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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