How many solar eclipses can occur in a calendar year?

Solar eclipses occur between two and five times per calendar year.1

While it is common for there to be two, it is rare for five to occur in a single year; the last occurrence of five solar eclipses in one year was in 1935, and the next is not expected until 2206. This frequency is determined by the timing of eclipse seasons, which occur when the Sun passes near the nodes of the Moon's orbit. Because there are two primary eclipse seasons each year, at least one solar eclipse occurs during each, with the possibility of a fifth eclipse arising if a third season begins at the very start or end of the calendar year.12