31 Mar '06 05:18>1 edit
We just were treated to a nice total eclipse of the sun, the moon magically covers up the sun at times. That is an extraordinary kind of event and we happen to be in the part of the cycle of history of the earth-moon system that that can happen. Here's the puzzle:
What year is destined to be the last year there will be a total eclipse?
The moon is receeding from the earth at the rate of about 2 CM
per year and you have a certain sized path of totality. So that totality will clearly get narrower and narrower as the centuries cringe on. So at some point the totality will be say, one inch wide, then its never to be seen again. What year is that?
What year is destined to be the last year there will be a total eclipse?
The moon is receeding from the earth at the rate of about 2 CM
per year and you have a certain sized path of totality. So that totality will clearly get narrower and narrower as the centuries cringe on. So at some point the totality will be say, one inch wide, then its never to be seen again. What year is that?