Learn
How a solar eclipse works
Why the Moon can hide the Sun, why it does not happen every month, and how the shadow races across the Earth.
Learn
Total, annular, partial and hybrid eclipses
The four kinds of solar eclipse, what each one looks like and how often they come round.
Learn
What happens during totality, minute by minute
From the first bite out of the Sun to the diamond ring and the corona, using real timings for Luxor in 2027.
Learn
Solar eclipse facts that surprise most people
Records, coincidences and history, each checked against our own calculations or a named source.
Learn
Why the Moon turns red during a lunar eclipse
How sunlight bent through Earth’s atmosphere colours the eclipsed Moon, and why some blood moons are almost black.
Safety
How to watch an eclipse safely
When it is safe to look, how to choose real eclipse glasses and what to do if your eyes hurt afterwards.
What these guides explain
A solar eclipse is a shadow and nothing more, yet it rearranges the whole sky for a few minutes. The Moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun and about 400 times closer, so from the Earth the two discs look almost the same size. When they line up exactly, the Moon covers the bright face of the Sun and the pearly corona appears around it.
Small changes in that line-up decide what you get. Inside the narrow path of the Moon’s darkest shadow the eclipse is total. When the Moon is near the far point of its orbit and looks too small, a bright ring of sunlight stays around it. Everywhere outside the path, the Sun only loses a bite and the sky stays bright.
Start with how an eclipse works, then read what happens minute by minute during totality, using real timings for Luxor on 2 August 2027. The eye safety guide covers the one rule that never changes, which is that the naked eye is safe only while the Sun is completely covered.