Total Solar Eclipse

Monday, April 8th 2024

A Solar Eclipse happens when the Moon aligns between the Sun and the Earth casting a shadow on the Earth’s surface. 

Since the Moon orbits the Earth so quickly (every ~29 days), you might think that the Moon should be aligned between the Sun and the Earth every month. But the Moon’s orbit is tilted at an angle, so it only aligns to create an eclipse every one to two years. 

The Moon’s orbit is also not a perfect circle; it’s an ellipse (an oval). So, sometimes, the Moon is closer to the Earth, and sometimes, it’s a little further away. 

A Total Solar Eclipse happens when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth and closer to the Earth; it totally blocks the Sun.

An Annular Solar Eclipse happens when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth but is further away from Earth. It looks a little smaller, and so the Sun still shines around the edges of the Moon in a ring of light.

During a Solar Eclipse, the Earth is still rotating on it’s axis, so the Moon’s shadow seems to move across the world in an imaginary line called the Path of Totality

When the Moon aligns between the Sun and the Earth, it casts two shadows. The Umbra  is the darkest part of the shadow and the Penumbra s a lighter shadow. On Earth people, in the Umbra will see a Total Solar Eclipse. Those in the Penumbra will see a Partial Solar Eclipse.