Why is it that the lunar disk precisely covers the solar disk during a solar eclipse? Is it just an extraordinary coincidence?

Asked by: Herb Stetzenmeyer

Because tidal forces are gradually slowing the Earth's rotation and increasing the Moon's distance from Earth, thousands of years from now the Moon will appear smaller in the sky and NOT be able to cover the Sun's disk. That will leave future generations with only ANNULAR eclipses, showing a bright ring of light around the Moon during totality.

Answered by: Paul Walorski, B.A., Part-time Physics/Astronomy Instructor