alleryStart learning →The Moon is far smaller than the Sun, yet it can cover the Sun exactly. What makes that possible?
AIt is 400 times nearer to us
BIt is 400 times larger than it
CIt is 400 times hotter than it
DIt is 400 times brighter to us
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. It is 400 times nearer to us
1. Apparent size depends on real size and on distance together.
2. The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon.
3. It is also about 400 times farther away, so the two effects cancel.
4. Both bodies end up about half a degree across, which is why the fit is so close.
_Source: OpenStax Astronomy (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Earth, Moon, and Sky" and Ch 5 "Radiation and Spectra", section 4.7 Eclipses of the Sun and Moon_
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