Solar Eclipses

Second-most common is the annular eclipse, which takes place when the Moon is at its farthest point (apogee) from the Earth on its elliptical orbit of our planet. Because it is at this distant point, it appears smaller (by 14 per cent) than it is when it is at its closest proximity (perigee) to the Earth. This makes the Moon appear smaller than the Sun when it crosses its path, meaning it does not fully block the Sun. In a darkened daytime sky, the Moon will appear as a dark disk superimposed on the larger disk of the Sun, resulting in a ring of fire (annulus) as the Sun shines around the Moon’s circumference.

Total solar eclipses happen every 18 months or so, but often they will be visible only from remote locations, meaning they are seen by relatively few stargazers. This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon completely blocks the face of the Sun, and those in the centre of the Moon’s shadow when it hits the Earth will experience the phenomenon of “totality”. The sky will darken as the Moon passes in front of the Sun and only the Sun’s corona (outer atmosphere) will be visible around the black disk of the Moon. This white, hazy celestial zone comprises extremely hot particles ejected at high speed from the Sun’s surface.

A partial eclipse is the most humble and common of solar eclipses. It occurs when the Moon does not align perfectly with the Sun, so covers only part the Sun. Depending on the “magnitude of eclipse” the sky may darken but day does not turn to night during the event. The magnitude of eclipse refers to the area of the Sun occluded by the Moon: sometimes it appears as if the Moon has bitten just a small piece from the Sun; at other times the occlusion is large, and the Sun appears as a bright, narrow crescent.