Eclipse, in astronomy, complete or partial obscuring of a celestial body by another.

An eclipse occurs
when three celestial objects become aligned.

From the perspective of a person on Earth, the Sun is eclipsed when the Moon comes between it and
Earth, and the Moon is eclipsed when it moves into the shadow of Earth cast by the Sun. Eclipses of
natural satellites (moons) or of spacecraft orbiting or flying past a planet occur as the bodies move into
the planet’s shadow. The two component stars of an eclipsing binary star move around each other in
such a way that their orbital plane passes through or very near Earth, and each star periodically eclipses
the other as seen from Earth.

Understand the spatial relationships between the Sun, the Moon, and Earth during eclipses

Understand the spatial relationships between the Sun, the Moon, and Earth during eclipses

An overview of spatial relationships between the Sun, the Moon, and Earth during eclipses of the Sun
and the Moon.

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When the apparent size of the eclipsed body is much smaller than that of the eclipsing body, the
phenomenon is known as an occultation. Examples are the disappearance of a star, nebula, or planet
behind the Moon or the vanishing of a natural satellite or spacecraft behind some body of the solar
system.

A transit occurs when, as viewed from Earth or another point in space, a relatively small body passes
across the disk of a larger body, usually the Sun or a planet, eclipsing only a very small area. Mercury
and Venus, for example, periodically transit the Sun, and a natural satellite may transit its planet.
Extrasolar planets (e.g., HD 209458b) have been discovered when they perform a transit of their stars.

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward
proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De
revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

Geometry of a lunar eclipse. The Moon revolving in its orbit around Earth passes through Earth's
shadow. The umbra is the total shadow, and the penumbra is the partial shadow. (Dimensions of bodies
and distances are not to scale.)

The Moon, when full, may enter the shadow of Earth. The motion of the Moon around Earth is from
west to east (see the figure of a lunar eclipse, in which the view of Earth is from above its North Pole).
For an observer facing south, the shadowing of the Moon begins at its left edge (if the Moon were north
of the observer, as, for example, in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite would be true). If
the eclipse is a total one and circumstances are favourable, the Moon will pass through the umbra, the
darkest part of the shadow, in about two hours. During this time the Moon is usually not completely
dark. A part of the sunlight, especially the redder light, penetrates Earth’s atmosphere, is refracted into
the shadow cone, and reaches the Moon. Meteorological conditions on Earth strongly affect the amount
and colour of light that can penetrate the atmosphere. Generally, the totally eclipsed Moon is clearly
visible and has a reddish brown, coppery colour, but the brightness varies strongly from one eclipse to
another.

Before the Moon enters the umbra and after it leaves the umbra, it must pass through the penumbra, or
partial shadow. When the border between umbra and penumbra is visible on the Moon, the border is
seen to be part of a circle, the projection of the circumference of Earth. This is a direct proof of the
spherical shape of Earth, a discovery made by the ancient Greeks. Because of Earth’s atmosphere, the
edge of the umbra is rather diffuse, and the times of contact between the Moon and the umbra cannot
be observed accurately.

During the eclipse the surface of the Moon cools at a rate dependent on the constitution of the lunar
soil, which is not everywhere the same. Many spots on the Moon sometimes remain brighter than their
surroundings during totality—particularly in their output of infrared radiation—possibly because their
heat conductivity is less, but the cause is not fully understood.

An eclipse of the Moon can be seen under similar conditions at all places on Earth where the Moon is
above the horizon.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned between Earth and the sun and casts a shadow over
Earth.

Solar eclipses only occur during a new moon phase, usually about twice a year, when the moon aligns
itself in such a way that it eclipses the sun, according to NASA.

If you want to know when the next solar eclipse will occur and where you can see it, check out our solar
eclipses 2024 guide and our solar eclipse live updates page. Our total eclipse 2024 guide tells you
everything you need to know, from how and where to watch it to why it's so special.

Total solar eclipse: The sun is fully obscured by the moon.

Partial solar eclipse: The moon doesn't fully block the sun so only a portion of the sun is obscured. Here
the moon appears to take a "bite" out of the sun.
Annular solar eclipse: The moon is centered in front of the sun but doesn't cover the entirety of the
surface (as seen in a total solar eclipse). A "ring of fire" shines around the moon.

Hybrid solar eclipse: The rarest solar eclipse is a combination of a total and annular eclipse (sometimes
known as an A-T eclipse) and is produced when the moon's shadow moves across Earth. These begin as
one type of eclipse and transition to another. A solar eclipse is caused by the moon passing between
the sun and Earth, casting a shadow over Earth.

When the moon crosses the ecliptic — Earth's orbital plane — it is known as a lunar node. The distance
at which the new moon approaches a node will determine the type of solar eclipse. The type of solar
eclipse is also affected by the moon's distance from Earth and the distance between Earth and the sun.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely obscuring the
face of the sun. These solar eclipses are possible because the diameter of the sun is about 400 times
that of the moon, but also approximately 400 times farther away, says the Natural History Museum.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth when it is near its
farthest point from Earth. At this distance, the moon appears smaller than the sun and doesn't cover the
entire face of the sun. Instead, a ring of light is created around the moon.

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth when the trio is not
perfectly aligned. As a result, only the penumbra (the partial shadow) passes over you, and the sun will
be partially obscured.

A rare hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the moon's distance from Earth is near its limits for the inner
shadow — the umbra — to reach Earth and because the planet is curved. Hybrid solar eclipses are also
called annular-total (A-T) eclipses. In most cases, a hybrid eclipse starts as an annular eclipse because
the tip of the umbra falls just short of making contact with Earth; then it becomes total because the
roundness of the planet reaches up and intercepts the shadow's tip near the middle of the path, then
finally it returns to annular toward the end of the path.