--- title: What is the Rare Hybrid Eclipse? description: There is a total eclipse and an annular eclipse—and then there's one that's a little bit of both. canonical: https://time.com/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/ author: Jeffrey Kluger article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-04-05T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:41:15.263Z article:section: Science og:title: Here's What to Know About the Rare Hybrid Eclipse og:description: There is a total eclipse and an annular eclipse—and then there's one that's a little bit of both. og:url: https://time.com/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0642cb3e7ecab94c/698a554647ca38218d3bd5cb/GettyImages-1484854620.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3514 og:image:height: 1977 og:image:alt: Hybrid solar eclipse in Indonesia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What to Know About the Rare Hybrid Eclipse twitter:description: There is a total eclipse and an annular eclipse—and then there's one that's a little bit of both. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0642cb3e7ecab94c/698a554647ca38218d3bd5cb/GettyImages-1484854620.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What to Know About the Rare Hybrid Eclipse > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=b29b0506-6eaa-4f38-84fa-4a1bb539a7e7&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._  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Apr 5, 2024 12:00 PM 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 Apr 5, 2024 12:00 PM UTC There’s only one eclipse to see on April 8: a total solar eclipse that will inscribe a path across 15 states in the U.S. [On Nov. 14, 2031](https://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2031Nov14Hprime.html#:~:text=Introduction,Hybrid%20Eclipse%3A%20Pacific%2C%20Panama), however, people in the right part of the world will be treated to what will amount to two eclipses, when the sun and the moon engage in the sky dance known as a hybrid eclipse. So what is a hybrid eclipse, and what makes it special? The [appearance of any given eclipse](https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/) is determined in large measure by the position of the moon relative to the Earth. The moon’s orbit around our planet is not perfectly round, but instead elliptical, [ranging from](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/lunar-perigee-apogee.html) an apogee—meaning when it’s farthest from the Earth—of about 405,000 km (252,000 mi.), to a perigee—the point at which it’s closest to the Earth—of 360,000 km (224,000 mi). The nearer to perigee the moon is, the bigger it appears to us; the nearer to apogee, the smaller it appears. **Read More**: [_How to See the First Solar Eclipse of 2024_](https://time.com/6691534/first-solar-eclipse-2024/) A total eclipse occurs during those perigee passes, when the apparent size of the moon is just right to block out the sun. When the moon is farther away, and thus appears smaller, much of the light of the sun can leak out around it, producing the less-sensational phenomenon known as an annular eclipse. Typically we only get one or the other, but a hybrid eclipse is different, occurring when the moon’s distance is balanced on something of a knife-edge between apogee and perigee—not too close and not too far. In those cases, the kind of eclipse you see is determined by where you’re standing on the Earth. Stand near the equator, at Earth’s bulging midline, and you are essentially standing a tiny bit farther out into space—and a tiny bit closer to the moon. Stand at higher or lower latitudes, where the Earth curves back, and you are standing farther away. In those latter cases, the moon appears smaller, and the eclipse you witness will be annular; in the former cases, the moon looks bigger and the eclipse appears total. **Read More**: [_The Eclipse Could Bring $1.5 Billion Into States on the Path of Totality_](https://time.com/6962343/solar-eclipse-2024-impact-economies/) [The 2031 eclipse will pass](https://theskylive.com/solar-eclipse?id=2031-11-14) almost entirely over water, with the path of totality inscribed in the eastern and southern Pacific Ocean and the greatest totality lasting just one minute and nine seconds—compared to up to four and a half minutes for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. The greatest annularity in the 2031 eclipse will occur as the moon’s shadow crosses the thin ribbon of Panama. The hybrid eclipse will be lovely; the one coming this month will be nothing short of stunning. ## 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/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/"},"headline":"Here's What to Know About the Rare Hybrid Eclipse","datePublished":"2024-04-05T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:41:15.263Z","description":"There is a total eclipse and an annular eclipse—and then there's one that's a little bit of both.","url":"https://time.com/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/","keywords":["Eclipse","healthscienceclimate","Solar Eclipse 2024"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0642cb3e7ecab94c/698a554647ca38218d3bd5cb/GettyImages-1484854620.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/blt0642cb3e7ecab94c/698a554647ca38218d3bd5cb/GettyImages-1484854620.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Hybrid solar eclipse in Indonesia","caption":"Hybrid solar eclipse in Indonesia","creditText":"INA Photo Agency/Universal Image;©Dimas Rachmatsyah","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/eclipse/","name":"Eclipse"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6962638/what-is-hybrid-eclipse/","name":"Here's What to Know About the Rare Hybrid Eclipse"}}]},{"@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. 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