KUMPULAN EXPLANATION TEXT

HOW DOES RAIN HAPPEN?

            Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world. It is also providing suitable conditions for diverse ecosystems. In addition, rain water is also for for hydroelectric power as well as plants and crop irrigation. Rain provides us life. However, how does rain happen?

            The phenomenon of rain is actually a water circle. The concept of the water cycle involves the sun heating the Earth's surface water and causing the surface water to evaporate. The water vapor then rises into the Earth's atmosphere. The water in the atmosphere cools and condenses into liquid droplets. The droplets grow until they are heavy and fall to the earth.

            When the doprelts fall to the earth, it is called rain. The rain can be in the form of water or snow. However, not all rain reaches the surface. Some evaporates while falling through dry air. This is called virga, a phenomenon which is often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

SOLAR ECLIPSE

            Solar eclipses are an accident of nature. They are so spectacular because the Moon and the Sun appear almost the same size. In reality the Sun is much further away then the Moon, but much larger. How does a solar eclipse happen?

            The Moon orbits the Earth once a month, and eclipses happen if it lines up exactly with the Earth and the Sun.  Solar eclipses occur at New Moon, when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun. Lunar eclipses occur at Full Moon, when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Eclipses do not take place every month because the orbits of the Moon and Earth are tilted at an angle. Most of the time, the line- up is not precise enough for an eclipse. However, there are more eclipses than people are generally aware of:

1. There are at least two eclipses of the Sun each year, though most are partial.

2. There are at least two eclipses of the Moon each year, though a proportion of these are only penumbral, when the Moon is not seen to darken by very much.

3. There can be as many as seven eclipses (solar plus lunar) in any one year. In 1935 there were five solar eclipses – four partial and one annular.

            On average, there is a total solar eclipse visible somewhere about every 18 months. However, from any one location on Earth, total eclipses take place on average only once in several hundred years.