A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun.
This configuration can only occur during a New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth.
Total solar eclipses are very rare events for any given place on Earth because totality is only seen where the Moon's umbra touches the Earth's surface.
A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people consider travel to remote locations in order to observe one.
Viewing the Sun during partial and annular eclipses (and during total eclipses outside the brief period of totality) requires special eye protection, or indirect viewing methods..
For more information about the topic Solar eclipse, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
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