in total eclipse, is it pure chance that the moon fits into the sun's disk so perfectly or is it...?

Question

the moon's distance from the earth makes for a perfect fit into the sun (except that the corona is still visible). if the moon was just a little closer, there would be no view of the sun; a little further and we would see a bright mushy ring around the moon. it seems somehow "cosmic" that the moon is so perfectly placed. or is there some explanation?

Answer 1

PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Answer 2

Cosmic man! It is just chance. There is no physical reason that our Moon had to be just the right size and distance to make those nice eclipses. We are so lucky. Especially considering that the Moon's orbit is actually moving slowly out away from Earth so that in the distant future (million years?) it won't be big enough to ever cover the Sun completely. So not only is the Moon the right size and distance, but we are living at the right time!

Answer 3

It seems to be pure chance now. However in the distant past the moon was much closer to the earth and the fit would not have been as good. The moon is now drifting slowly away from the earth (because the earth's tidal bulge speeds up the moon) and the fit in the distant future may not be as good. The earth and Venus are of similar size. If the earth and moon were in Venus's orbit (much closer to the sun) the fit would not be as good. Our moon is the largest moon in the solar system relative to the size of its planet. A much smaller moon from another planet would not fit as good. Looks like pure chance to me.

Answer 4

Yes and no.

People travel to specific coordinates (places) on Earth to witness a total solar eclipse. Those coordinates vary for each eclipse because they depend on the positions of the Earth and moon with respect to the Sun, which always are changing (and why a total eclipse only lasts a short time).

It's not "pure chance," but more just a matter of time, since the Earth and moon orbits are prescribed by gravity, continue on their paths and eventually position again for an eclipse, viewable from somewhere on Earth.

Answer 5

It is not pure chance. The moon was specifically position by ancient intelligent beings to cause tidal effects and keep the earth's alignment perfect.
Our moon is far to large to have been captured by the gravity of Earth. Ever since modern science came to be scientists have awed at how such a large body could be in such a perfect orbit around such a small planet.
Life as we know it would not exist without the moon.

Answer 6

It is pure chance, but the Moons orbit is not circular, and sometimes the moon's disc is slighly smaller or larger. An eclipse at this time is called 'annular', and can appear as a bright ring.

Answer 7

in a total solar eclipse, not only does the moon perfectly "fit" the sun's size (this is due to the distance between the two), it also aligns with the sun such that it completely blocks it out. that's why eclipses are very very rare.

Answer 8

I cant remember if the Moon is actually getting closer or further away , but in a few million years eclipses wont be happening they way they do now.

Answer 9

It's pure chance. But even if it were a little bigger or a little smaller, the Moon's gravity would still bend light around it so we would still see the sun's crown around it.

Answer 10

It sounds incredible, but yes, it is pure chance. Imagine other moons with the same mass as ours but lower/higher amount of density: these would exceed/remain under the existing diameter of our moon. Paul

Answer 11

Close enough