A solar eclipse is one of the most dazzling celestial phenomena that you can experience from Earth. It occurs when Earth, the moon and sun are aligned on the same plane, with the moon passing in front of the sun to cast a shadow on the planet below.
During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely covers the sun, which results in a period of "totality," when the moon completely blocks the light from the sun. This causes evening-like darkness during the daytime, as the center of the moon's dark shadow falls over Earth. Viewers do not experience totality during a partial solar eclipse, when the moon only blocks a portion of the sun's disk.
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7 ways to photograph the 2026 total solar eclipse — from smartphone to telescopeWhether you're carrying a phone, a mirrorless camera or a smart telescope, here are some tried and tested ways to capture the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse.
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Best solar viewing gear 2026: Everything you need to watch the Aug. 12 eclipseFrom affordable eclipse glasses to premium solar telescopes, these are the best products to safely enjoy the Aug. 12 solar eclipse
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Best solar eclipse glasses: Safe viewing for the Aug 12 eclipseWatch the Aug. 12 solar eclipse safely with our expert picks of the best eclipse glasses, all designed for solar viewing.
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Lucky few to see 'ring of fire' solar eclipse over Antarctica on Feb. 17This month's new moon brings an annular (or "ring of fire") solar eclipse, but it will only be visible from parts of Antarctica.
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See February's full Snow Moon rise this weekend next to a glittering star clusterFebruary's full "Snow Moon" will be at its fullest on Sunday, Feb. 1, and will be best seen at moonrise. It will appear just beneath the Beehive Cluster, one of the closest star clusters to the solar system.
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How to stream Sunday's 'blood moon' total lunar eclipseThe final 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse of 2025 is coming this Sunday (Sept. 7-8). Here's where the celestial spectacle will be visible — and how to watch it if you're not in the path.
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NASA spacecraft snaps images of lunar transit and Earth eclipse on the same day — see the photosThe Solar Dynamics Observatory saw a lunar transit and an Earth eclipse on July 25 — the first when the moon passed between it and the sun, and another when Earth did the same.
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Behold! 1st images of artificial solar eclipse captured by ESA's Proba-3 missionSee the first images of an artificial solar eclipse from ESA's Proba-3 mission.
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Eerie NASA image shows eclipsed sun with an extra moon overhead. Yes — it's real.NASA's PUNCH mission, a tiny constellation of four satellites, captured a photo of the moon drifting across the sky through a haze of sunlight. The mission is still undergoing commissioning and is expected to start science operations June 9.
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