A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either fully or partially blocks the Sun’s light in some areas. The alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth determines the type of solar eclipse that occurs. There are three main types of solar eclipses:

• Total solar eclipse: This happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total eclipse. The sky will darken, and people in the path of a total solar eclipse can see the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.

• Partial solar eclipse: This happens when the Moon blocks the Sun, but only partially. As a result, some part of the Sun is visible, whereas the blocked part appears dark.

• Annular solar eclipse: This happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun. As a result, the Moon appears as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the Moon.

A solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, and it is a relatively rare phenomenon. The Moons orbit is tilted at about 5 degrees to Earths orbit, so its shadow usually misses Earth. Solar eclipses therefore happen only during eclipse seasons, resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year, no more than two of which can be total.