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Solar eclipse
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Diagram showing a solar eclipse, with the Sun, Moon, and Earth aligned. The Moon casts a dark umbra shadow on Earth for a total eclipse and a lighter penumbra for a partial eclipse. Map showing the path of the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, crossing Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and Portugal.
Solar and Lunar Eclipses, Explained
Map of North America showing the path of totality for the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. The path, marked with a dark band and labeled Path of Totality, stretches from Mexico through the central United States into eastern Canada. Surrounding shaded bands indicate decreasing percentages of eclipse coverage, from 90% near the path of totality to 10% at the map edges, with percentage labels in yellow. Major cities, state, and country boundaries are visible
What is the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse?
2024 total solar eclipse
How do solar and lunar eclipses occur?
How to watch a solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse. The delicately structured glow of the solar corona—or solar atmosphere—seen during the March 7, 1970, total eclipse of the Sun. The corona is visible to the unaided eye only during an eclipse. annular eclipse
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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy

Solar eclipse: References & Edit History

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    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Article title updated for style. Nov 09, 2026
Modified link of Web site: Space - What is a solar eclipse? Sep 22, 2026
Added and adjusted media. Jul 29, 2026
Add new Web site: IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering - Solar Eclipse: Concept of “Science” and “Language” Literacy (PDF). May 18, 2026
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Philosophical Transactions A - The solar eclipse: a natural meteorological experiment. Apr 08, 2026
Add new Web site: NASA - Science - Types of Solar Eclipses. Dec 31, 2025
Add new Web site: Smithsionian National Air and Space Museum - Solar Eclipses. Jul 31, 2025
Add new Web site: The Planets - Solar Eclipse Facts. May 12, 2025
Add new Web site: Physics LibreTexts - Modeling a Solar Eclipse. Feb 03, 2025
Media added. Dec 09, 2024
Add new Web site: Royal Observatory Greenwich - Solar eclipses. Sep 14, 2024
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Effect of solar eclipse on microbes. Jun 19, 2024
Added map of 2024 solar eclipse. Mar 22, 2024
Media added. Mar 20, 2024
Add new Web site: Khan Academy - Solar eclipses. Dec 07, 2023
Add new Web site: LiveScience - What is a solar eclipse? Aug 27, 2023
Links and video added. Jun 22, 2023
Media added. May 08, 2023
Add new Web site: Vanderbilt University - Dyer Observatory - All About Solar Eclipses. Mar 17, 2023
Add new Web site: Space - What is a solar eclipse? Feb 03, 2023
New article added. May 19, 2022
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