The path of totality is the area in which a full eclipse will be completely visible. ![]() Whether you can view that eclipse depends on where you are in the world.Īs the Earth rotates, the Moon's shadow on Earth (and the view of the eclipse) travels from west to east. There are two to five solar eclipses each year, with a total eclipse taking place every 18 months or so. This type of eclipse occurs because the Moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical rather than perfectly circular, so sometimes the Moon is further away from Earth than at other times and looks smaller. This does not detract from their impressive appearance.Īnnular eclipses occur when the Moon's apparent diameter (the width of the Moon as we perceive it from Earth) is less than the Sun's and so the Moon doesn't cover the Sun completely like it does in a total eclipse - we still see its rim. ![]() ![]() They are nicknamed 'ring of fire' eclipses, although there is not actually a ring of fire but a ring of light. Annular eclipses are another type of solar eclipse.
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