Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months, but for any specific location they are extremely rare, happening on average about once every 360 to 410 years. Over a long span, different kinds of solar eclipses (total, partial, annular, and hybrids) can occur 2–5 times in a given year globally, with total eclipses at any one place repeating about every several centuries.

Key points:

• Global frequency: about 2 to 5 solar eclipses of any type per year; total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth about every 18 months on average.

• Local recurrence: any particular location experiences a total solar eclipse roughly once every 360 to 410 years on average (often longer in the Southern Hemisphere).

• Typical experience: total eclipses are brief at a given location, typically lasting only a few minutes, because the Moon’s shadow moves quickly across Earth.

• Useful context: the timing and type of eclipses repeat in cycles called Saros cycles, about 18 years long, linking similar eclipses across time.

If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific location or provide upcoming total solar eclipses and their visibility for your area.