Solar Eclipse :
When the moon passes in front of the sun and casts a shadow on Earth, there is a solar eclipse. Only during the new moon phase, when the moon travels squarely between the sun and Earth and casts shadows on its surface, can a solar eclipse occur. However, a number of variables, all of which are detailed below, determine whether the alignment results in a total solar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse, or an annular solar eclipse.
An eclipse only happens by chance due to the laws of celestial mechanics and time. The moon has been progressively separating from Earth since its formation some 4.5 billion years ago.
There are four types of solar eclipses: total, annular, partial and hybrid.
1. Total Solar Eclipse - Total solar eclipses, in which the Moon entirely blocks out the Sun, can only occur when the Moon is close to perigee, the point in its orbit where it is closest to Earth.
2. Annular Solar Eclipse - When the Moon is close to apogee and casts its umbra on Earth, there occurs an annular eclipse of the Sun.
3. Partial Solar Eclipse - When the Moon just partially blocks the Sun disc and only casts its penumbra on Earth, a partial solar eclipse occurs.
4. Hybrid Solar Eclipse - The rarest sort of solar eclipses are hybrid ones, commonly referred to as annular-total eclipses. They happen when an eclipse shifts along its path from an annular to a total solar eclipse, or vice versa.
Protection Required :
You must not look directly at the Sun without safety glasses, whether it is eclipsed or not. Your eyes retinas could get permanently damaged or even destroyed by the sun rays. Wearing safety eclipse glasses or projecting an image of the obscured Sun using a pinhole projector are the two safest ways to view a total solar eclipse.