Roma Ameen, age 12, Of Hopewell, Va., for her question:

How long does and eclipse last?

We may get two or three, four or five eclipses of the sun in a single year, and each one will be slightly different from the others. Each one can be seen for just a short time from a rather small part of the world. As a general rule we can expect two total solar eclipses in a three year period. An eclipse of the moon comes less often, but it can be seen far and wide. During a total lunar eclipse the face of the moon may be hidden in the shadow of the earth as long as an hour and 140 minutes.

In a total solar eclipse the dazzling sun is hidden by the moon for a much shorter time.. The total blackout may last less than a minute or up to seven and a half minutes, but never as long as eight minutes.