Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)

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How Solar Eclipses Work: When the moon covers up the sun, skywatchers delight in the opportunity to see a rare spectacle.
How Solar Eclipses Work: When the moon covers up the sun, skywatchers delight in the opportunity to see a rare spectacle. (Image credit: Karl Tate, Livescience.com contributor)

Solar eclipses are one of the cosmic wonders of our solar system. They occur when the new moon blocks part or all of the sun as seen from the surface of the Earth. Check out the SPACE.com Infographic above to see how solar eclipses work.

When the moon passes in front of sun, as viewed from Earth, the eclipse that occurs is visible from a narrow path on Earth that corresponds to the location of the moon's shadow. During a total solar eclipse, this path is known as the path of totality. WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun.

There are several other types of solar eclipses.

In addition to total eclipses of the sun, the moon can block part of the sun's disk (a partial solar eclipse), or leave only an outer ring of the sun visible in a so-called annular solar eclipse. A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the tip of the moon's shadow lifts off the surface of the Earth at some point, allowing some observers to see a total eclipse while others witness an annular eclipse.

Karl Tate
Karl Tate
LiveScience Infographic Artist
Karl has been Purch's infographics specialist across all editorial properties since 2010.  Before joining Purch, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University.