When does Solar Eclipse occur?
Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon comes in between the Sun and the Earth and casts a shadow on the Earth. This phenomenon happens only in the New Moon phase.
Types of Solar Eclipse
A Solar Eclipse is generally of four types:
Total Eclipse
Occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are in complete alignment and the Moon is at it’s closest to the Earth. The dark silhouette of the Moon completely obstructs the bright light of the Sun. However, the fainter corona of the Sun is still visible all throughout the eclipse.
Annular Eclipse
Annular Solar Eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are in complete alignment, but the Moon is near it’s farthest position from Earth. The relative size of the Moon, as seen from Earth, is much smaller than that of the Sun. As a result, the Sun is not completely blocked and appears as a very bright ring, called annulus, around the dark disk of the Moon. This kind of eclipse is also called “Ring of Fire” eclipse.
Hybrid Eclipse
It is a combination of total and annular eclipse. At certain points on the Earth, people can see a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. These are comparatively rare.
Partial Eclipse
Occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line with the Earth and the Moon only partially blocks the Sun. Most of the world actually sees a partial eclipse outside the path of an annular or total eclipse.
More about Annular Solar Eclipse
When does “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse occur?
Annular solar eclipse takes place when:
- It is New Moon
- The Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned in a straight line
- The Moon is near its farthest point from Earth, called apogee
Stages of an Annular Solar Eclipse
There are 5 distinct stages of an annular solar eclipse:
Partial eclipse begins – The Moon’s silhouette starts to appear in front of the Sun
Annularity starts – The “Ring of Fire” starts to form
Maximum Annularity – The Moon covers the center of the Sun’s disk
Annularity ends – The Moon starts moving away from the disk of the Sun
Partial eclipse ends – The Moon stops overlapping the Sun’s disk. The eclipse ends at this stage.
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