You travel to an exotic place to observe a total solar eclipse in December and someone on this trip tells you that the next eclipse to occur on Earth will be a lunar eclipse in March. Is this likely to be true?
A)It could be true, since such an eclipse can occur when the Sun's position with respect to the celestial equator is changing rapidly.
B)Yes, but only once about every 1000 years.
C)No, it is not likely to be true.
D)Yes, it is likely to be true.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement is not likely to be true. While lunar eclipses are more common than total solar eclipses, they do not occur immediately after each other. Typically, there will be at least one partial solar eclipse and/or one or more partial lunar eclipses between a total solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse. Additionally, lunar eclipses occur when the full moon passes through Earth's shadow, which can only happen when the moon is opposite the sun in the sky. Therefore, a lunar eclipse cannot occur in March if a total solar eclipse occurred in December of the previous year, since the two events are separated by less than six months.

You Travel to an Exotic Place to Observe a Total