Solar eclipse

(*) Duration of central eclipse.. Iran came under increasing pressure from the European Union in regard to their program to build nuclear power plants.[32]. Selected past and upcoming eclipses are:. [31]. Eclipses where the path of totality crosses major population centres generate the most interest in the general public. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, came under increasing scrutiny as he began selling oil at lower-than-market prices to island nations in the Caribbean. Although there is a total eclipse visible somewhere on Earth most years, some are more conveniently observed than others. In some cases this has led to fuel rationing being enacted.

[1]. High oil prices have created an oil supply instability, per barrel price instability or both. Like a transit of a planet it will not get dark. High oil prices are hurting many countries in Africa, including Zimbabwe, Eritrea and Tanzania. The satellite passes over the face of the Sun in about a second, typically.
. This means the best you can get is a satellite transit, but these events are difficult to watch, because the zone of visibility is very small. The Pacific rim had been experiencing this crisis on an ongoing basis prior to Hurricane Katrina.

At the altitude of the International Space Station, for example, an object would need to be about 3.35 km across to blot the Sun out entirely. This will likely cause inflationary pressures. But none are large enough to cause an eclipse. Wal-Mart, like all retailers, will also face higher shipping costs to get goods from the factory to the stores. Artificial satellites can also get in the line between Earth and Sun. Because Wal-Mart's distribution system relies on the customer to drive to a large discount big-box store, increases in the price of fuel might discourage some customers from making the trip as often. When no such planet was found during such an eclipse, the possibility of its existence was ruled out. Since oil prices after the end of the 2nd quarter continued to rise, 3rd quarter profits from Wal-Mart are expected to be small.

At one time, some scientists — including Albert Einstein — hypothesized that there may have been a planet even closer to the Sun than Mercury; the only way to confirm its existence would have been to observe it during a total solar eclipse. [26] Earlier in August, Wal-Mart announced that higher than expected oil prices cut into the corporation's profits for the 2nd quarter of 2005. More common — but still quite rare — is a conjunction of any planet (not confined exclusively to Mercury or Venus) at the time a total solar eclipse, in which event the planet will be visible very near the eclipsed Sun, when without the eclipse it would have been lost in the Sun's glare. Over two years, stock in Wal-Mart dropped in value by 25% from $60 per share to under $45 per share. This was the lowest time difference between a transit of a planet and a solar eclipse in the historical past. Wal-Mart shares continued their decrease in value that began with the increase in the oil prices. Only 5 hours after the transit of Venus on June 4, 1769 there was a total solar eclipse, which was visible in Northern America, Europe and Northern Asia as partial solar eclipse. [25].

The next anticipated simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of Mercury will be on July 5, 6757, and of a Solar eclipse and a transit of Venus is expected on April 5, 15232. These prices increased more rapidly toward the end of August, particularly after Hurricane Katrina. But these events are extremely rare because of their short durations. The value of the stock in companies such as Apache[23] and Conoco-Phillips [24] rose sharply during this period. In principle, the simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of a planet is possible. The increase in oil prices over two years was mirrored by an increase in stock values in the energy sector. On these occasions, an object — especially a planet (often Mercury) — may be visible near the sunrise or sunset point of the horizon when it could not have been seen without the eclipse. There is an increasing demand of crossover sport utilities which are more fuel efficient - especially for those based on passenger car platforms.

When this occurs shortly before the former or after the latter, the sky will appear much darker than it would otherwise be immediately before sunrise or after sunset. There is also an ever increasing market for hybrid vehicles since they are more fuel efficient; since the 1973 energy crisis, the front-wheel drive passenger car has replaced rear-wheel drive as the preferred layout for energy efficient cars. It is possible for a solar eclipse to attain totality (or in the event of a partial eclipse, near totality) before sunrise or after sunset from a particular location. The September 2005 sales data for all the vehicles vendor indicated SUV sales dropped while small cars sales increased compared with 2004 sales. During a partial eclipse, the light spots will show the partial shape of the sun, as seen on the picture. Recent years have seen a move towards more fuel-thirsty sport utility vehicles in the United States and Canada, and this may be stopped by the high price of gas. These are images of the sun. The increased price of oil might also encourage greater fuel efficiency.

Normally the spots of light which fall through the small openings between the leaves of a tree, have a circular shape. Recent months have seen billions of dollars invested in the oil sands. During a solar eclipse special observations can be done with the unaided eye. They are a far less cost efficient source of oil than crude, but at 60 dollars a barrel, the tar have recently become very attractive to businesses. Note that the modern conventional dates are different by a year or two, and that these two eclipse records have been ignored so far. The most prominent example of this are the massive reserves of the Canadian tar sands. The sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the sky, well after the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, after the departure of Mardonius to Thessaly at the beginning of the spring of (477 BC) and his second attack on Athens, after the return of Cleombrotus to Sparta. The increased price of oil also makes previously impractical sources of oil attractive to businesses.

Herodotus (book IX, 10, book VIII, 131, and book IX, 1) reports that another solar eclipse was observed in Sparta during the next year, on August 1, 477 BC. Outside the US, more than 50% of oil is consumed for stationary, non-transportation purposes such as electricity production where it is relatively easy to substitute natural gas for oil. An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred at Sardis on February 17, 478 BC, while Xerxes was departing for his expedition against Greece, as Herodotus, VII, 37 recorded ([Hind and Chambers, 1889: 323] considered this absolute date more than a century ago). Nigeria is working on burning natural gas to produce electricity instead of simply flaring the gas. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, probably near the Halys river in the middle of modern Turkey. For example, China and India are currently heavily investing in natural gas facilities. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. Economists say that the substitution effect will spur demand for alternate energy sources, such as coal or liquified natural gas.

Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. As a result during this period the Federal Reserve has rapidly been increasing interest rates to curb inflation. Herodotus wrote that Thales of Milete predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. This was driven by a 4.2% increase in energy costs. For a discussion, see the text by Stephenson. In the United States, the Consumer Price Index rose by 0.6% compared to 0.2% for September. There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses, in Babylon and also in China, but these are highly disputed and rely on much supposition. Inflation has increased.

This is the earliest solar eclipse that can be exactly dated. Despite the rapid increase in the price of oil, neither the stock markets nor the growth of the global economy have been noticeably affected. A solar eclipse of 15 June 763 BC mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient. But oil's historically high ratio of Energy Returned on Energy Invested continues a significant decline. After a Saros cycle finishes, a new Saros cycle begins 1 Inex later (hence its name: in-ex). In the United States, for instance, each $1000 dollars in GDP required 2.4 barrels of oil in 1973 when adjusted for inflation this number had fallen to 1.15 by 2001. The Inex cycle is itself a poor cycle, but it is very convenient in the classification of eclipse cycles. While total consumption has increased [22], the western economies are less reliant on oil than they were twenty-five years ago, due to substantial growths in productivity.

The Saros cycle is probably the most well known, and one of the best, eclipse cycles. This could well be the case if a major storm were to hit the gulf, where the reserve is located. Two such cycles are the Saros and the Inex. demand for about a month in the event of an emergency, unless it is also destroyed in the emergency. If the date and time of a solar eclipse is known, it is possible to predict other eclipses using eclipse cycles. The American Strategic Petroleum Reserve could on its own supply current U.S. Normally this is not visible because the photosphere is much brighter than the corona. Nevertheless, that loss of revenue would put a strain on government balance sheets.

For astronomers, a total solar eclipse forms a rare opportunity to observe the corona (the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere). Most economists see this as unlikely, partly because all developed countries have high fuel taxes that decrease as oil prices increase and can be eliminated in the event of a dramatic price spike. (eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC.). Some see these increases in the price of oil leading to a recession comparable to those that followed the 1973 and 1979 energy crises or a potentially worse situation such as a global oil crash. The longest total solar eclipse during the 8,000-year period from 3000 BC to 5000 AD will occur on July 16, 2186, when totality will last 7 min 29 s. There is controversy regarding the potential effects of oil-price shocks. The next eclipse of comparable duration will not occur until June 25, 2150. the implications for the oil market are global."[21].

Observers aboard a Concorde aircraft were able to stretch totality to about 74 minutes by flying along the path of the Moon's umbra. [19] [20] The press release from the IEA states, ".. The last time this happened was June 30, 1973. These supplies would begin entering the US markets within two weeks of 2 September. During each millennium there are typically fewer than 10 total solar eclipses exceeding 7 minutes. In order to stabilize world energy supplies, the International Energy Agency offered to sell two million barrels of crude oil and other refined products from national supplies. Totality can never last more than 7 min 40 s, and is usually much shorter. Bush stated, "This storm has disrupted the ability to make gasoline and deliver gasoline," and "This is going to be a difficult road."[18] Many people have observed however that stores of crude oil do little to address inadequate refinery and distribution capacity.

Then, after waiting so long, the total eclipse only lasts for a few minutes, as the Moon's umbra moves eastward at over 1700 km/h. EDT, on 31 August, President Bush announced the Energy Department was approving loans from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and that EPA announced nationwide waver on fuel blends. Although they occur somewhere on Earth approximately every 18 months, it has been estimated that they recur at any given place only once every 370 years, on average (Stephenson, p.54). On 5:10 p.m. Total solar eclipses are rare events. Airports began to report shortages in aviation fuel on 2 September.[15] A shortage could lead to a decrease in food production.[16] Higher prices for heating oil and natural gas were expected as the winter heating season set in.[17]. Outside of the central track, a partial eclipse can usually be seen over a much larger area of the Earth. [14] Many of these were blamed on panic buying.

In the most favourable circumstances, when a total eclipse occurs very close to perigee, the track can be over 250 km wide and the duration of totality may be over 7 minutes. Shortages were feared or experienced in several states including Tennessee [12], Alabama [13], and South Carolina. The width of the track of a central eclipse varies according to the relative apparent diameters of the Sun and Moon. In Stockbridge, Georgia, regular gas prices came to $5.87 at a BP station. The Earth is also rotating from west to east, but the umbra always moves faster than any given point on the Earth's surface, so it almost always appears to move in a roughly west-east direction across a map of the Earth (there are some rare exceptions to this which can occur during an eclipse of the midnight sun in arctic or antarctic regions). Gas prices soared after the closing down of the major pipelines connecting the gas of the Louisiana region to the entire East Coast. During a central eclipse, the Moon's umbra (or antumbra, in the case of an annular eclipse) moves rapidly from west to east across the Earth. [11].

However, some are visible only as partial eclipses, because the umbra passes either above or below the earth, and others are central only in remote regions of the arctic or antarctic. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port has not. This means that in any given year, there will always be at least two solar eclipses, and there can be as many as five. Port Fourchon has also suffered long term damage. Sometimes the New Moon occurs close enough to a node during two consecutive months. The port of Louisiana is one of its most important inlet for oil imports, and the gulf itself is a major oil producer. Therefore, the New Moon occurs close to the nodes at two periods of the year approximately six months apart, and there will always be at least one solar eclipse during these periods. The Gulf Coast is home to a major portion of America's refining capacity.

The Moon's orbit intersects with the ecliptic at the two nodes that are 180 degrees apart. Hurricane Katrina had a major impact on oil and gas prices, especially within the United States. The time between one perigee and the next is known as the anomalistic month. Continued concerns about Iran raised the price to $68.38 on January 31.[10]. Finally, the Moon's perigee is moving forwards in its orbit, and makes a complete circuit in about 9 years. Observers believe that violence in Nigeria, and Iran's friction with the West are responsible for this price increase. This period is called the draconitic month. This was the highest increase since early October 2005.

This means that the time between each passage of the Moon through the ascending node is slightly shorter than the sidereal month. On January 17, sweet crude oil for February delivery rose by $2.38 (3.7%) to $66.30 a barrel. However, the nodes of the Moon's orbit are gradually moving in a retrograde motion, due the the action of the Sun's gravity on the Moon's motion, and they make a complete circuit every 18.5 years. As a result, shortage of a particular grade of oil can keep street prices high, even when overall supply exceeds demand. The Moon crosses from south to north of the ecliptic at its ascending node. In addition, there are different grades of oil and each refinery is typically configured to process a narrow range of grades. This is known as the synodic month, and corresponds to what is commonly called the lunar month. While the street price of gasoline usually corresponds to the price of crude oil, refinery capacity can become the governing factor, particularly during periods of high demand.

This means that the average time between one New Moon and the next is longer, and is approximately 29.6 days. Over the course of three weeks leading up to August 10, crude oil prices had risen by 13%. However, during one sidereal month, the Earth has moved on in its orbit around the Sun. During mid-August, with a string of refinery snags (fires/other deterrents to oil refining), shrinking gasoline inventories, and a growing thirst for oil by American consumers, New York Mercantile Exchange traded crude oil futures surged past the $66 mark and briefly touched $67/barrel. This is known as the sidereal month. influence. The Moon orbits the Earth in approximately 27.3 days, relative to a fixed frame of reference. Saudi Arabian King Fahd's death on August 1, 2005, meant a new regime that may be less amicable to U.S.

It is only when the Moon is closer to the Earth than average (near its perigee) that a total eclipse occurs. In June 2005 crude oil prices surged to record highs eventually breaking the psychological barrier of $60. On average, the Moon appears to be slightly smaller than the Sun, so the majority (about 60%) of central eclipses are annular. It then reversed course and headed to an all time high of $58.28, driven mainly by lingering concerns of a prolonged weak dollar. This means that the apparent size of the Moon is sometimes larger or smaller than average, and it is this effect that leads to the difference between total and annular eclipses (the distance of the Earth from the Sun also varies during the year, but this is a smaller effect). In April 2005 the price began to fall, reaching $53.32 on April 9. The Moon's orbit is also elliptical, which means that the distance of the Moon from the Earth can vary by about 6% from its average value. On March 16, 2005, the price surpassed the October 2004 high of $55.17 to close at $56.46.

A solar eclipse can occur only when the New Moon occurs close to one of the points (known as nodes) where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic – hence the name. The price of light, sweet crude oil on NYMEX has been above $50/barrel since March 5, 2005. Because of this, at the time of a New Moon, the Moon will usually pass above or below the Sun. After retreating for several months during the winter of 2004/2005, prices rose to new highs in March 2005. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is inclined at an angle of just over 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). These analysts believe the problem would be solved by increasing the efficiency of factories, homes and transportation and easing the demand crunch by using less energy and more renewable energy. The larger light gray area is the penumbra, in which a partial eclipse will be seen. Still others suggest that the main issue is a lack of energy efficiency in industry.

The small area where the umbra touches the Earth's surface is where a total eclipse will be seen. A July 14, 2005 Morgan Stanley report[9] suggests that opinions of the oil market could burst just like a bubble if indications of declining Asian demand continue. The dark gray region to the right of the moon is the umbra, where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. If these speculators are wrong, current prices may actually be a price bubble, and the price could thus collapse. The diagram to the right shows the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth at a solar eclipse. These people argue that speculators foresee increasing demand, decreasing supply, or both, leading to a long term increase in the price of oil. For more information on safe eclipse viewing, see:. Others believe that the price of oil is almost entirely speculative, and that the increase in price is due to oil speculation extending into the long term.

Note that it is never safe to look at an annular or partial eclipse directly, because the Sun's disk is never completely covered during this type of eclipse. Not only is there a limited amount of fossil fuels which have been burnt as fuel, but however much remains will be used faster by a growing industrialized world population and what remains will be more dificult to get since the easiest wells have been tapped and the remaining sources will be fought over in resource wars. The exact time and duration of totality for the location from which the eclipse is being observed should be determined from a reliable source (local astronomers, etc.). A more fundamental problem that some believe is causing the price to rise is the probability of peak oil already or soon to be reached. However, it is important to stop directly viewing the Sun promptly at the end of totality. Critics argue that these problems periodically push price higher, but that they are not fundamental or long term enough to cause the large jump in gas price. The Sun's faint corona will be visible, and even the chromosphere, solar prominences, and possibly even a solar flare may be seen. Some people and news agencies argue that labor strikes, hurricane threats to oil platforms, fires and terrorist threats at refineries, and other general problems are responsible for the higher gas prices.

Contrary to popular belief, it is safe to observe the total phase of a total solar eclipse directly with the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope, when the Sun's photosphere is completely covered by the Moon; indeed, this is a very spectacular and beautiful sight, and it is too dim to be seen through filters. Since oil is traded in dollars, the price must increase for OPEC to maintain buying power in Europe. These precautions apply to viewing the Sun at any time except during the totality phase of a total solar eclipse (see below). One other important cause is the United States dollar's slump against the Euro. The optical viewfinders provided with some video and digital cameras are not safe. The short term price of oil is partially controlled by the OPEC cartel and the oligopoly of major oil companies. Viewing the Sun's disk on a video display screen (provided by a video camera or digital camera) is safe, although the camera itself may be damaged by direct exposure to the Sun. Even if oil supplies themselves are not reduced, some experts feel the easily accessible sources of light sweet crude are almost exhausted and in the future the world will depend on more expensive sources of oil.

However, care must be taken to ensure that no one looks through the projector (telescope, pinhole, etc.) directly. Despite this there is increasing discussion of peak oil and the possibility that the future may see a reduced supply of oil. The projected image of the Sun can then be safely viewed; this technique can be used to observe sunspots, as well as eclipses. This rate of increase is faster than that of any other date in the past. This can be done by projecting an image of the disk onto a white piece of paper or card using a pair of binoculars (with one of the lenses covered), a telescope, or another piece of cardboard with a small hole in it (about 1 mm diameter), often called a pinhole camera. World supply (specification) came in at 83 million barrels a day during 2004 in department of energy EIA calculations ([8]). The safest way to view the Sun's disk is by indirect projection. Gas prices in the region, normally 70 cents below the national average, were at $3.12 on August 30.[7].

Only properly designed and certified solar filters should ever be used for direct viewing of the Sun's disk. Short-term shutdowns because of power outages knocked out two major on-shore pipelines, and at least 10% of the nation's refining capacity was not operating in the wake of the storm. Sunglasses are not safe, since they do not block the harmful and invisible infrared radiation which causes retinal damage. market. The Sun's disk can be viewed using appropriate filtration to block the harmful part of the Sun's radiation. In late August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina crippled the supply-flow from off-shore rigs in the Gulf Coast, the largest source of oil for the domestic U.S. 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. Outside the Middle East other oil producers have worried investors such as the strikes political problems in Venezuela and potential instability in West Africa.

Viewing the Sun's disk through any kind of optical aid (binoculars, a telescope, or even an optical camera viewfinder) is even more hazardous, although just viewing it with the naked eye can easily cause damage. The war in Iraq, Iran's nuclear program, and questions about Saudi Arabia's internal stability all could in the future lead to a dramatic fall in the supply of oil. Unfortunately, looking at the Sun during an eclipse is just as dangerous as looking at it outside an eclipse, except during the brief period of totality, when the Sun's disk is completely covered (totality occurs only during a total eclipse and only very briefly—it does not occur during a partial or annular eclipse). One of the most important is growing turbulence in the Middle East, the world's largest oil producing region. However, during an eclipse, with so much of the Sun covered, it is easier and more tempting to stare at it.
There are a number of reasons why oil traders feel that oil supplies might be reduced. Under normal conditions, the Sun is so bright that it's difficult to stare at it directly, so there is no tendency to look at it in a way that might damage the eye. Note: the total percentage exceeds 100 because the overall demand from all other countries decreased during the same period..

The retina has no sensitivity to pain, and the effects of retinal damage may not appear for hours, so there is no warning that injury is occurring. Department of Energy Energy Information Administration estimates: [6]. This damage can result in permanent impairment of vision, up to and including blindness. Sources of the world-consumption-increase in 2004 compared to 2003 (total increase of 3.4%), according to U.S. Looking directly at the photosphere of the Sun (the bright disk of the Sun itself), even for just a few seconds, can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye, because of the intense visible and invisible radiation that the photosphere emits. New demand is also coming from emerging industry in third world nations, including India and especially China which is developing a western-style car culture and whose manufacturing bases have grown very rapidly in recent years. When the Moon disappears at Full Moon by passing into Earth's shadow, the event is properly called an eclipse, but when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, we see an occultation of the Sun by the Moon. economy currently accounts for one-quarter of all demand.

Properly speaking, an eclipse occurs when one object passes into the shadow cast by another object. The U.S. The term eclipse is actually a misnomer: The phenomenon of the Moon passing in front of the Sun is actually an occultation. market, the source of an increasing percentage of the world's demand for petroleum. Slightly more annular eclipses than total eclipses occur, because on average the Moon lies too far away from Earth to cover the Sun completely. High demand is led by the U.S. Hence the term annular eclipse. .

In that case, at the time of greatest eclipse there remains a thin annulus (or ring) of brilliant Sun left uncovered. The previous high was $2.38 per gallon in March 1981, which would be $3.03 per gallon after adjusted for inflation.[4][5]. When a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is at or near apogee, however, it appears smaller, and it cannot cover the Sun completely. The average retail price was nearly $3.04 per gallon. When a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is at or near perigee, it appears large enough to cover the bright disk, or photosphere, of the Sun completely, and a total eclipse occurs. In the United States gasoline prices reached an all time high during the first week of September 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The furthest point in the orbit is referred to as apogee, and the closest point is called perigee. A record price of $70.85 per barrel was reached on August 29, 2005.[2] While oil prices are considerably higher than a year ago, they are still roughly 25$ from exceeding the inflation-adjusted "peak of the 1980 shock, when prices were over $90 a barrel in today’s prices" [3].

Because the Moon's orbit around Earth is an ellipse rather than a circle, however, at some times during the month the Moon is further away, and at other times it is closer to Earth, than average. By August 11, 2005, the price had been above $60/barrel for over a week and a half. As seen from Earth, therefore, the Sun and the Moon appear to be about the same size in the sky - about 1/2 of a degree in angular measure. The price of standard crude oil on NYMEX was under $25/barrel in September 2003. One of the most remarkable co-incidences in nature is that (i) the Sun lies about 400 times as far from Earth as does the Moon, and (ii) the Sun is also about 400 times the diameter of the Moon. At the same time, Cuba has experienced electricity shortages. The reason why some solar eclipses are total and others are annular has to do with the elliptical nature of the Moon's orbit around Earth. These nations must resort to limiting imports or rationing their existing supplies.

There are four types of solar eclipses:. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa lack the foreign exchange reserves (ie, Dollars) to purchase enough oil products at the ever increasingly higher prices. . The Indonesian president had instituted subsidies to control the price of gasoline.[30]. A total solar eclipse is considered by many to be the most spectacular natural phenomenon that one can observe. A senior minister of Singapore expressed concern at the oil crisis in Indonesia.[29]. This configuration can only occur at New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction, as seen from Earth. [27] New sources of energy were sought to deal with the crisis.[28].

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and obscures it totally or partially. In the Philippines, the oil crisis caused its public to call for immediate government assistance. February 16, 1980: Launch of rockets from San Marco platform. combined other non-OECD: 21%. February 26, 1979: Launch of rockets from Red Lake, Canada. UK: 3.5%. November 12, 1966: Launch of two Titus-rockets fom Las Palmas, Argentina. Canada: 4%.

May 20, 1966: Launch of rockets at Karystos, Greece to watch the solar eclipse. Asia outside Japan and China: 13.8%. May 30, 1965: Launch of rockets at Charlestown, USA. US: 19.4%. MacRobert, Sky & Telescope magazine. China: 38.9%. How to Watch a Partial Solar Eclipse Safely, Alan M.

Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses, Fred Espenak, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. However, some eclipses can only be seen as a partial eclipse, because the central line never intersects the Earth's surface. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of the Earth outside of the track of a central eclipse. A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line, and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun.

The generic term for a total, annular or hybrid eclipse is a central eclipse. At some points on the Earth it is visible as a total eclipse; whereas at others it is annular. A hybrid eclipse is intermediate between a total and annular eclipse. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring surrounding the outline of the Moon.

An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. During any one eclipse, a total eclipse is visible only from a fairly narrow track on the surface of the Earth. The intensely bright disk of the Sun is replaced by the dark outline of the Moon, and the much fainter corona is visible (see image right). A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon.