Imagine the Sun is like a big, bright light bulb in the sky. The Moon acts like a block, when it passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, it blocks out some of that light, making it look like the Sun is being eaten. That’s a solar eclipse. Not everyone sees the same part: Some see the whole Sun covered, others just a bite taken out of it.
Examples
- A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks all of the Sun, like a giant cookie cutter biting through the sky.
- If you're in the right spot during an annular eclipse, it looks like a ring of fire around the Moon.
- From some places on Earth, only a sliver of the Sun is hidden, that's a partial solar eclipse.
Ask a question
See also
- How Does a Solar Eclipse Change the Shape of Earth's Shadow?
- How Does a Solar Eclipse Actually Work?
- What Causes the ‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse and How Is It Different from a Total Eclipse?
- What Is a Solar Eclipse?
- What exactly happened during the recent solar eclipse in North America?