# What Is The Maximum Possible Length Of Eclipse Totality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393 "2017-08-22T18:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/21 "2017-08-23T21:48:35Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > I was fortunate to see a 6 minute 53 second total solar eclipse in Hawaii in 1991, but was spoiled by it. It is probably the longest one anybody will ever see in our life times. > > When I saw that the max for the latest one was around 2 and a half minutes, I said “pass”, not worth the drive. I also saw the 1991 Hawaiian eclipse, but it didn’t spoil me for others. I’ve seen three more since then, and the length of totality is not as important as the location. Being in Hawaii was quite memorable. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/22 "2017-08-23T21:53:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’s a viewing location on the Moon, with “eclipse” having its usual meaning of “the Sun being blocked by the Moon”. It’s a tad bit more usual to say “the Sun blocked by Earth” as lunar eclipses are a little more common that the solar variety … so that’s five months at either of Earth’s poles … ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/23 "2017-08-23T22:30:15Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > It’s a tad bit more usual to say “the Sun blocked by Earth” as lunar eclipses are a little more common that the solar variety … so that’s five months at either of Earth’s poles … I believe that Chronos is describing nightime on the Moon, which lasts two weeks. The Moon blocking out the sun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/24 "2017-08-23T23:57:54Z")
I agree he is. Which seems to me a bit silly. By that logic sitting in a cave or tunnel on the Moon could be defined as a perpetual eclipse since from within the cave your view of the sun is always hidden by (part of) the Moon. IMO one of the defining characteristics of an eclipse is the body you’re riding on can’t be the one doing the eclipsing. IOW it takes two celestial bodies plus the Sun to form an eclipse for the word to have any useful real meaning at all. What we Terrans call a “solar eclipse” demands another body to do the eclipsing of Earth’s view of the Sun. What we Terrans call a “lunar eclipse” has Earth doing the eclipsing of the Sun as seen from the Moon. So far no Terran has ever seen one of those live in person from the Moon, but we all can see the effects on the Moon by watching from Earth. Our lunar instruments can, at least in principle, see what we call a lunar eclipse. And enjoy over an hour and a half of totality! I tried to find out if we had any photos of the Earth eclipsing the Sun taken by instruments on the Moon but couldn’t find any info one way or the other. If the Moon was inhabited by lunar natives they’d probably not agree with our Earth-centric and logically inconsistent eclipse terminology. The wiki page on eclipses in general has an interesting section on eclipses not involving Earth/Moon. Including some pretty cool pix & vids. [Eclipse - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse#Some_other_planets_and_Pluto) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/25 "2017-08-24T00:16:58Z")
> [@](#): > > If the Moon was inhabited by lunar natives they’d probably not agree with our Earth-centric and logically inconsistent eclipse terminology. Indeed, if they have the same sort of logical inconsistencies as us, then what we call a lunar eclipse, they’d call a solar eclipse, and what we call a solar eclipse, they’d call a terrestrial eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/26 "2017-08-24T00:24:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If we’re allowing _any_ viewing location, then you can get a two-week eclipse. Or just get reasonably close to a pole and walk west to get a perpetual eclipse (it would take 9.6 mph at the equator, so you’d need a rover for that). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/27 "2017-08-24T00:36:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Indeed, if they have the same sort of logical inconsistencies as us, then what we call a lunar eclipse, they’d call a solar eclipse, and what we call a solar eclipse, they’d call a terrestrial eclipse. Per’zactly 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/28 "2017-08-24T08:06:37Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > I believe that Chronos is describing nightime on the Moon, which lasts two weeks. The Moon blocking out the sun. > > 🙂 Yuppers … and night time at the Earth’s poles lasts five months … All syntaxic gymnastics … ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393/29 "2017-08-24T08:59:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Once we’re moving the Moon there, we can use the same propulsion system for indefinite station-keeping. The relatively hard part is getting there, not staying there. I was being sarcastic… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-maximum-possible-length-of-eclipse-totality/794393.md?page=1)