Are Fictional Eclipses Limited by Scientific Cycles?

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The discussion centers on the occurrence and artistic representation of eclipses in fictional worlds. Participants agree that while real-world eclipse cycles provide a foundation, there is significant room for creative interpretation in fictional settings. Adjusting the orbit of moons or satellites can help achieve desired eclipse patterns that may not align with natural cycles. The importance of maintaining a balance between scientific accuracy and narrative coherence is emphasized, suggesting that as long as the story remains believable to the reader, artistic liberties can be taken.
Lapsangtea
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Dear all,

I have been reading through this article about how often different types of eclipse (eclipse cycles) can occur. I'm presuming that all fictional eclipses have to be variations of these? Even with a fictional planet/moon/solar system?

But what if the desired recurrence of an eclipse isn't satisfied by any of these cycles? Can there be any room for artistic liberty or 'must' the writer find a variation of the eclipses listed to fit? I hope that makes sense.

I'm happy to provide further information about my fictional world but would prefer to do so by PM.

Thank you
 
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That article is mainly about Earth and Moon. A different Moon orbit would lead to different patterns.

Do you have some specific eclipse pattern in mind? Maybe it is possible to find some plausible scenario.
 
Since you are creating a fictional universe I assume that there is plenty of room for artistic liberty. Also, if you need the eclipses to happen in longer/ shorter intervals you could simply adjust the speed and vector of your moon or satellites orbit to compensate. Good luck.
 
I already have a desired lunar cycle and planet year 'locked down' - I'm hoping to make the 'moon event' fit what I already have. Any details will send in a PM. :)
 
It's wonderful to be scientifically accurate, but if you write the story and it is not possible for the reader to smell a rat, don't worry about it.

Obviously, you don't want to do something blatantly wrong, but don't over egg the pudding.
 
Recently, I’ve heard from Anton Petrov on YouTube that some tidally-locked planets around red-dwarf stars (such as TRAPPIST-1) have been suspected to flip around their own axis every once in a while — so that the former day side becomes the night side, and vice versa. This is presumed to happen for the same reason as why a T handle set in a rotating motion on a space station starts flipping back and forth. The latter is an issue we discussed for spaceship designs, when it came to how...

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