The passage of the moon directly between the Earth and the sun, blocking some or all of the sun's light from a narrow path on Earth's surface. A total solar eclipse, visible only within the narrow band traced by the moon's full shadow, briefly darkens the sky enough to reveal the sun's normally invisible outer atmosphere, the corona; a partial or annular eclipse, seen from a wider area or when the moon is too far from Earth to fully cover the sun, leaves a visible crescent or ring of sunlight.
Facts
PeriodicityBetween two and five solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth in a given year, with at least one occurring during each eclipse season 1 ScaleUnder the most favorable circumstances, when totality occurs close to lunar perigee, the path of totality on Earth's surface can be up to about 267 km (166 mi) wide 1 First DescribedAmong the earliest known records, a clay tablet from Ugarit documents a solar eclipse from 1375 or 1223 BC, and the 4th century BC Chinese astronomer Shi Shen described how to predict eclipses from the relative positions of the Sun and Moon 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceDuring totality the Moon fully covers the Sun's disk, darkening the sky enough for the faint outer solar atmosphere, the corona, to become visible 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia - Solar Eclipse
Path of totality section
In the most favourable circumstances, when a total eclipse occurs very close to perigee, the track can be up to 267 km (166 mi) wide
Total solar eclipse section
the much fainter solar corona to be visible
Frequency section
Between two and five solar eclipses occur every year, with at least one per eclipse season
History section
the 4th century BC astronomer Shi Shen described the prediction of eclipses by using the relative positions of the Moon and Sun
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