An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Of a → solar eclipse, the path of the → umbra across the → Earth. The totality path is usually about 100 km across, but under the most favorable conditions, when the → Moon is at its nearest → distance to Earth and the Earth is at its farthest distance from the Sun, the umbra can have a diameter of about 270 km.

See also: → totality; → path.