The total solar eclipse is very rare and not last more than several minutes. Nevertheless, it is considered to be one of the most awe inspiring spectacles in all of nature. The sky takes on an eerie twilight as the Sun's bright face is replaced by the black disk of the Moon. Surrounding the Moon is a beautiful gossemer halo.
At least two, and up to five, solar eclipses happen each year but no more than two can be total eclipses. Sometimes, the Moon is too small to cover the entire Sun's disk. To understand why, we need to talk about the Moon's orbit around Earth. That orbit is not perfectly round but is oval or elliptical in shape. As the Moon orbits our planet, it's distance varies from about 221,000 to 252,000 miles. This 13% variation in the Moon's distance makes the Moon's apparent size in our sky vary by the same amount. When the Moon is on the near side of its orbit, the Moon appears larger than the Sun. If an eclipse occurs at that time, it will be a total eclipse. However, if an eclipse occurs while the Moon is on the far side of its orbit, the Moon appears smaller than the Sun and can't completely cover it. Looking down from space, we would see that the Moon's umbral shadow is not long enough to reach Earth. Instead, the antumbra shadow reaches Earth.
Is it okay to look at them? No. You should never look at a solar eclipse directly because it can damage your eyes. But you can wear special glasses that let you see it but keep your eyes protected. Scientists welcome the total eclipse as a rare opportunity to study the Sun's faint corona and for amateur astronomers and eclipse chasers, an eclipse of the Sun presents a tempting target to photograph.
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