Flexi Says: An eclipse occurs only in an eclipse season i.e. when the sun is close to a node present in the moon's orbit. The eclipse season is 32 days for the solar eclipse while 22 days for the lunar eclipse. Any new moon during the 32 days period encounters a solar eclipse while a full moon during the 22 days period encounters a lunar eclipse. This gives the approximate time of eclipse to occur. However, for the exact prediction of eclipses, it is important to know precisely the orbit of the Earth around the sun, the orbit of the moon around the Earth, and the daily rotation of the Earth. After that, some complex mathematical calculations need to be performed through the use of computers and software that provides the exact date and time of the eclipses.
