One minute read. Written by a grade 4 student

What’s a solar eclipse? And what’s a lunar?

There are two main types of eclipses – solar and lunar. Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, leaving a moving region of shadow on Earth’s surface. Lunar eclipses occur when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.

What’s the difference between a Total Solar Eclipse and an Annular Solar Eclipse?

A Total Eclipse happens when the Moon completely covers the sun, and an Annular eclipse happens when the Moon almost completely covers the sun, but you can still see a ring of the sun. Whether an eclipse is total or annular depends on the distance between these three objects.

Ok, so how does an Annular Solar eclipse take place?

So, an Annular has nothing to do with Annual (meaning yearly). Annular comes from annulus – meaning the ring shape. A solar eclipse, as you might know, happens when the moon passes between the earth and the sun – the three are in a line. But, an Annular eclipse is when the moon does not fully cover the sun (because of its distance) during this passage. The sun’s edges, therefore, form a halo of fire (or annulus) around the moon.

When is this happening in India and where can it be seen best?

It took place on the 26th of December. The full eclipse was visible only in the southern states of India, like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The rest of India will saw a partial solar eclipse.

One of the best views was seen by people in Bengaluru – where the maximum obscuration of the sun by the moon wasat about 90% in the city. Chennai saw 85% obscuration, Mumbai 79% and Delhi 45%.