Expert: Jayendra Upadhye - 3/2/2005

Question
do other planets have solar and lunar eclipses

Answer
Hi erika,
why should they not?
Jupiter with its multiple moons and saturn has eclipses like earth, but as in the earth moon case, the positiions are not "so matched" as to give total solar and lunar eclipses.

On these gas giants, the satellites are so positioned, that when one is in their umbra, one sees a total solar eclipse for a fleeting moment, but lunar eclipses last very long.
That is because these tinies, go around jupiter in very close orbits, unlike the earth's moon, which puts them in jupiters shadow (umbra) for a longer duration and they are also very small comapred to the width of jupiter's shadow!

That makes lunar and solar eclipses much more frequent!
Though the path of the eclipse (solar) on jupe's surface may vary every time a bit.

Jayen