--- title: Here Are All the Types of Eclipses description: There are many more types of eclipses than you might think. The April 8 sky show is just one of a whole family of eclipses. canonical: https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/ author: Jeffrey Kluger article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-03-28T11:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:40:58.867Z article:section: Science og:title: Here Are All the Types of Eclipses og:description: The April 8 sky show is just one of a whole family of eclipses. og:url: https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a48ebd99a3760e2/698a4926cabb1d03dbe52bfd/GettyImages-1153328332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2322 og:image:height: 1306 og:image:alt: Solar Eclipse in Chile 2019 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are All the Types of Eclipses twitter:description: The April 8 sky show is just one of a whole family of eclipses. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a48ebd99a3760e2/698a4926cabb1d03dbe52bfd/GettyImages-1153328332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:13 video:published: 2024-02-27 section: science topics: total solar eclipse, April 8 eclipse, moon orbit, annular eclipse, path of totality, eclipse rarity, Texas, US eclipse viewing, sun and moon size, next eclipse 2044 genre: explainer tones: informative, enthusiastic, clear, urgent emotions: curiosity (high), excitement (medium), awe (medium) sentiment: positive audience: general audience, astronomy enthusiasts, students, eclipse viewers, US residents people: Jeffrey Kluger organizations: TIME transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # These Are All the Different Types of Eclipses > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=9101af99-f4bd-4a98-a783-5feb8d3652e5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=9101af99-f4bd-4a98-a783-5feb8d3652e5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=9101af99-f4bd-4a98-a783-5feb8d3652e5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=9101af99-f4bd-4a98-a783-5feb8d3652e5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2024 U.S. Total Eclipse Explained [Watch (HLS stream): 2024 U.S. Total Eclipse Explained](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MOMY0Lpx.m3u8) (2:13)  _Published 2024-02-27. A rare total solar eclipse will occur across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada on April 8, 2024, when the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun’s rays during the day time, causing a temporary period of darkness. TIME Editor-at-Large Jeffrey Kluger explains the best way to experience it._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video explains what a total solar eclipse is and why total eclipses are rare for any given location. It describes how the sun and moon appear the same size from Earth, and how the moon's tilted and elliptical orbit usually prevents a total eclipse. It then covers why the April 8 eclipse is notable, including where it enters Texas, which places could see the longest darkness, and how many people live in its path. It closes by noting that the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland will not occur until 2044. ## Key points - Since 1900, only 12 total eclipses have touched the US Mainland, most of them only glancingly. (00:13) - On average, a total solar eclipse happens at any given location only once every 375 years. (00:18) - The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but also about 400 times farther away, so they appear the same size from Earth. (00:28) - The moon's tilted orbit causes its shadow to miss the Earth most of the time. (00:50) - When the moon is farther from Earth in its elliptical orbit, it appears too small to fully block the sun, producing annular eclipses. (00:59) - A total eclipse is possible only at the moon's closest approach, and the narrow band of totality usually tracks over water or away from population centers. (01:12) - The April 8 eclipse crosses the Texas border at about 1:27 p.m. local time; places near the path's center, like Waco, Cleveland and Buffalo, could see 4 minutes or more of darkness. (01:25) - About 31 million US residents live in the path of the eclipse, and most of the US will experience some level of darkness. (01:44) - The next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland won't be until 2044. (02:03) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] What total eclipses are and how rare. Defines a total eclipse and gives statistics on how seldom they touch the US Mainland or any one location. - [00:25 to 01:12] Why eclipses are rare. Explains the sun-moon size coincidence, the moon's tilted and elliptical orbit, and annular eclipses. - [01:12 to 01:50] Why the April 8 eclipse is special. Describes the narrow band of totality, the Texas crossing time, cities with long totality, and the population in the path. - [01:50 to 02:13] Viewing outlook and next eclipse. Notes that most of the US will see some darkness and that the next US Mainland total eclipse is in 2044. ## Key quotes - [00:18] Jeffrey Kluger: "on average a total solar eclipse will happen where you live only once every 375 years." - [00:28] Jeffrey Kluger: "the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but the sun is also 400 times farther away." - [01:44] Jeffrey Kluger: "in all 31 million us residents live in the path of the eclipse." - [01:59] Jeffrey Kluger: "It's a 2-hour spectacle that you don't want to miss" ## Questions this video answers - How often does a total solar eclipse occur in any given location? [00:18] - Why do the sun and moon appear the same size from Earth? [00:28] - Why doesn't the moon cause an eclipse every month? [00:43] - What is an annular eclipse? [01:03] - When does the April 8 eclipse reach Texas, and which places could see the longest totality? [01:25] - When is the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland? [02:03]  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Mar 28, 2024 11:00 AM UTC A rare total solar eclipse will occur across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada on April 8, 2024, when the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun’s rays during the day time, causing a temporary period of darkness. TIME Editor-at-Large Jeffrey Kluger explains the best way to experience it.  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Mar 28, 2024 11:00 AM UTC No one in human history has ever seen an eclipse quite like the one seen by [the crew of Apollo 12](https://science.nasa.gov/resource/earth-eclipses-the-sun-apollo-12/) on Nov. 21, 1969\. Countless billions of us have seen the moon eclipse the sun, casting its shadow on the Earth; countless billions have seen the Earth similarly block solar light, casting a shadow on the moon. But the Earth eclipsing the sun, as viewed from far off in deep space? That’s a different matter—but it’s precisely what the astronauts bore witness to when they were on their way back to Earth after having stuck history’s second crewed lunar landing, in the moon’s Ocean of Storms, two days earlier. “We’re getting a spectacular view,” [radioed](https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/mission%5Ftrans/AS12%5FTEC.PDF) command module pilot Richard Gordon as the sun appeared to vanish behind the Earth. “It’s unbelievable.” “Fantastic sight,” added lunar module pilot Al Bean. “The sun is almost completely eclipsed now and what it’s done is illuminated the entire atmosphere all the way around the Earth.” “Looks quite a bit different than when you see the moon eclipse the sun,” added Gordon. It will be a long while before humans witness the same spectacle again—sometime in the future when astronauts travel moonward again. But no one has to wait terribly long to see another, equally stunning cosmic spectacle. On April 8 the moon will pass in front of the sun creating a total solar eclipse—the first one to touch the lower 48 U.S. states since 2017, and the last one that will cross Canada and the U.S. until 2044. Read more: [_How to See the First Solar Eclipse of 2024_](https://time.com/6691534/first-solar-eclipse-2024/) The upcoming sky show is only one variety of solar eclipse. Total solar eclipses happen [once every 18 months](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/solar-eclipse-guide.html#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20to%20five,travels%20from%20west%20to%20east.) somewhere in the world—and they’re far and away the most gobsmacking type. That’s owed partly to a wonderful bit of cosmic serendipity: the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but it’s also about 400 times more distant, meaning that the two disks appear almost precisely the same size when they’re hanging in our sky. On those rare occasions when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, it thus fully blocks the solar disk, blacking it out completely and leaving only the sun’s corona—or crown—of flames visible. ## **Why Aren’t There More Total Eclipses?** But why exactly are those occasions so rare? Once every month, the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, so it would seem that once every month we’d get an eclipse. That’s not the case because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees relative to the equator—just enough of an inclination to make it appear to pass above or below the sun on its monthly passage. Only on those rare occasions when the moon passes the sun at a precise equatorial angle do we get a solar eclipse—and even then it’s not always total. Spectators at different spots on the ground will witness the sun-moon dance from different perspectives, meaning that for most of them the moon will merely take a bite of the sun, leaving it as a crescent in the sky. Read more: [_Where You Can Watch the Solar Eclipse_](https://time.com/6835995/how-to-watch-solar-eclipse-cities/) The path of totality is a narrow one: on April 8 it will trace a band just 185 km (115 mi.) wide, as the sun crosses the country from Texas to New England. Viewers outside of that track will see the sun eclipsed to different extents—by 94% in Chicago, 90% in New York City, 56% in Denver, 49% in Los Angeles, and less and less the farther and farther away a viewer moves. On the whole, only about 31 million lucky Americans live in the path of totality. ## **Annular Eclipses** Even when the moon does cross in front of the sun at precisely the right equatorial point, a total eclipse is not guaranteed. That’s because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is not perfectly round, but instead elliptical—[ranging from](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/lunar-perigee-apogee.html) a so-called apogee of about 405,000 km (252,000 mi.), the farthest distance from the Earth, to the closer perigee of 360,000 km (224,000 mi). A moon at or approaching apogee appears too small to block the sun entirely, creating what is known as an annular eclipse—one that is much less spectacular than a total eclipse since the solar light leaking out from around the moon largely washes out the view of the lunar disk. Annular eclipses occur [once every two years](https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/three-kinds-solar-eclipses#:~:text=The%20maximum%20phase%20of%20an,seconds%20to%20over%2012%20minutes.). ## **Lunar Eclipses** Lunar eclipses—when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon’s surface—are less spectacular than solar eclipses, but still dramatic, as much of the moon slowly seems to vanish in the sky. Here, too, the moon’s five-degree inclination around the Earth prevents an eclipse from happening once a month when the Earth is in the path of the sun’s light that would otherwise be shining on the moon. On average lunar eclipses happen just [one or two times a year](https://www.weather.gov/fsd/suneclipse#:~:text=For%20an%20eclipse%20to%20occur,year%20instead%20of%20every%20month.).  Lon Tweeten for TIME ## **Other Eclipses in Space** Throughout the solar system, and indeed the cosmos as a whole, eclipses happen all the time—whenever a foreground body moves in front of a background body. Both Earth-based and ground-based telescopes use this so-called [transit model](https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/faq/31/whats-a-transit/#:~:text=Transits%20reveal%20an%20exoplanet%20not,over%20a%20period%20of%20time.) to detect planets orbiting other stars. They do so by measuring the vanishingly small dimming that occurs when the planet passes in front of the star and obstructs a tiny bit of its light. Moons orbiting our solar system’s planets also create their own eclipses, but the shadow a satellite like Jupiter’s 3,100 km- (1,940 mi)-diameter moon Europa casts on its parent world’s 142,800 km- (86,900 mi)-wide bulk is too small to see without a powerful telescope. Earth is alone in the solar system not just in having a moon uniquely sized and situated to create as dazzling a phenomenon as a perfectly total solar eclipse, but also in being home to smart and sentient creatures who can understand and appreciate what they’re seeing. If you don’t live in the path of totality it’s worth trying to get there to be among the fortunate few who will have that rare experience. ## Transcript [00:03] Total eclipses occur when the moon passes directly between [00:08] the Earth and the Sun blocking solar light since 1900 [00:13] only 12 have touch the US Mainland most of them only glancingly [00:18] on average a total solar eclipse will happen where you live [00:22] only once every 375 years. [00:25] Why are they so rare? [00:28] Well, the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but the [00:33] sun is also 400 times farther away. [00:35] So the two bodies appear about the same size to us on the moon [00:42] orbits the earth once each month. [00:43] So why doesn't it Shadow touch the Earth causing an eclipse [00:48] with each pass? [00:50] Partly because the moon's orbit is tilted slightly which causes [00:54] its shadow to miss the Earth most of the time but it's also [00:59] because the moon's orbit is elliptical for much of its path. [01:03] The Moon is farther away from Earth and appears too small to block [01:07] out the sun completely those eclipses are called annular. [01:12] Only when the eclipse occurs at the moon's closest approach [01:16] is a total eclipse possible, even then the narrow band of totality [01:21] usually tracks over water or away from population centers. [01:25] That's why this eclipse on April 8th is so special as it crosses [01:31] the Texas border at about 1:27 p.m. [01:34] Local time sitting closest to the center of the path like Waco [01:39] Cleveland and buffalo could witness up for 4 minutes or more [01:44] of darkness in all 31 million us residents live in the path [01:49] of the eclipse. [01:50] Even if you don't live in the path of totality most of the US [01:54] will experience some level of Darkness. [01:59] It's a 2-hour spectacle that you don't want to miss because [02:03] the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland won't be until [02:08] 2044. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/"},"headline":"These Are All the Different Types of Eclipses","datePublished":"2024-03-28T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:40:58.867Z","description":"There are many more types of eclipses than you might think. The April 8 sky show is just one of a whole family of eclipses.","url":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/","keywords":["Solar Eclipse 2024","healthscienceclimate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a48ebd99a3760e2/698a4926cabb1d03dbe52bfd/GettyImages-1153328332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jeffrey Kluger","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a48ebd99a3760e2/698a4926cabb1d03dbe52bfd/GettyImages-1153328332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Solar Eclipse in Chile 2019","caption":"Solar Eclipse in Chile 2019","creditText":"Sebastian Brogca—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/solar-eclipse-2024/","name":"Solar Eclipse 2024"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/","name":"These Are All the Different Types of Eclipses"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"2024 U.S. Total Eclipse Explained","description":"A rare total solar eclipse will occur across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada on April 8, 2024, when the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun’s rays during the day time, causing a temporary period of darkness. TIME Editor-at-Large Jeffrey Kluger explains the best way to experience it.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MOMY0Lpx/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-02-27T18:40:54.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MOMY0Lpx.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/","duration":"PT2M13S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```