Solar Eclipse

space · Sun · Moon · sky show

Moon blocks the Sun. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, hiding the Sun from a small part of our planet.

Total, partial, or ring. In a total eclipse the Moon covers the whole Sun. In partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is hidden, sometimes leaving a glowing ring.

A tiny viewing spot. Unlike a lunar eclipse that everyone on the night side can see, a solar eclipse is only visible from a relatively small area of Earth.

A once-in-centuries treat. Total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but at any single place they return only once every 360 to 410 years.

Twice a year. Eclipses can only happen during 'eclipse seasons,' roughly every six months, when the Moon's orbit lines up just right with the Sun.