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Solar and lunar eclipses: the types

Summary

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. It can be total, annular (a 'ring of fire'), partial or hybrid. A lunar eclipse happens at full moon, when Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. The only time it is safe to look at the Sun without eclipse glasses is the brief totality of a total eclipse.

Draft. License: CC BY 4.0 (this summary). Sources: [S1] NASA Science, "Types of Eclipses" (public domain (US government work)).

Facts

• id: F1 claim: A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and its shadow fully or partly blocks sunlight in some areas. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F2 claim: Eclipses are occasional because the Moon's orbit is tilted relative to the Earth-Sun plane; the aligned periods, called eclipse seasons, happen about twice a year. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F3 claim: In a total solar eclipse the Moon fully covers the Sun's face; people in the center of the shadow see the sky darken and can see the corona. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F4 claim: An annular eclipse happens when the Moon is at or near its farthest from Earth, so it looks smaller than the Sun and leaves a bright ring. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F5 claim: A partial solar eclipse happens when the three bodies are not perfectly aligned, so only part of the Sun is covered; people outside the inner shadow of a total or annular eclipse see a partial one. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F6 claim: A hybrid eclipse shifts between annular and total along its path because Earth's surface is curved. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F7 claim: Lunar eclipses happen at full moon when Earth lies between the Sun and Moon; the Moon dims and can turn red. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02
• id: F8 claim: NASA says to use eclipse glasses (not regular sunglasses) or a safe indirect method such as a pinhole projector at all times except the brief totality of a total eclipse. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0 checked_on: 2026-11-02

Caveats

• Eye safety: looking at a partial or annular eclipse without proper protection can injure the eyes.

Pointers

• id: P1 answers: Upcoming eclipse dates and paths where: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/ access: free, public web page

@misc{iil_note_t47s6qmw,
  author = {{iinventedlight Library}},
  title = {{Solar and lunar eclipses: the types}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-02},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/solar-eclipse-types/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:t47s6qmw. License: CC-BY-4.0. Summary of https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types/.},
}

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