A coincidence I have a problem with.

[Stu Pidasso]

I've heard it described as a "stunning stellar coincidence" that the moon exactly covers the sun during a solar eclipse. The actual "coincidence" is that the sun, which is 400 times larger than the moon, just happens to be 400 times further away from the earth than the moon.

Fourth graders used point out that the shapes of continents on a world map fit together like puzzle pieces. This was also dismissed as merely a fantastic coincidence until the discovery of plate tectonics.

"Fantastic" or "stellar" coincidences bother me. I suspect there is a better explanation for why we have such perfect eclipses.

Stu