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 HomeEclipsesEclipses OverviewSafetyScienceTypesHistoryNASA ResearchGeometryFAQCitizen ScienceFuture EclipsesOverview2023 Annular Solar Eclipse2024 Total Solar EclipseStories & EventsAll Eclipse StoriesShadow NotesEventsFor MediaResources & MoreResourcesGlossaryExplore This SectionEclipses OverviewSafetyScienceFuture EclipsesStories & EventsFor MediaResources & MoreEclipsesWhen the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up in space, we can see an eclipse. NASA studies eclipses from the ground, in our atmosphere, and in space, influencing solar, planetary, and Earth science.A purple Moon with a bright white, wispy solar atmosphere billowing out around it. It fills the red and purple background.About EclipsesAn eclipse is an awe-inspiring celestial event that drastically changes the appearance of the two biggest objects we see in our sky: our Sun and Moon. On Earth, people can experience solar and lunar eclipses when Earth, the Moon, and the Sun line up. Safety is the number one priority when viewing a solar eclipse. Be sure to follow these safety guidelines when viewing a solar eclipse.Quick FactsThe next total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044.Above a garden, pergola, pond, and fountain, the stages of the eclipse are seen in the sky. From left to right, in a series of 24 images, the Sun changes from partially covered, to a crescent, to a total solar eclipse, then back to a crescent and partially covered again.Lunar eclipses occur during the full moon phase, and solar eclipses occur during the new moon phase.The Moon against a black background. The Moon is a dark red orange color, with dark gray splotches where the craters are.We can't normally see the corona –—the Sun's outer atmosphere — because Sun's surface below it is so much brighter. But during a total solar eclipse, the corona emerges, offering unique opportunities to study it.sun blocked by moon in total eclipse, with just corona visibleAn eclipse season is one of only two periods during each year when the Sun, the Moon and Earth are aligned, allowing eclipses to occur. Each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months later!Reflected on a calendar are crescents of the Sun during a solar eclipse.Featured StoryThe April 8 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASAOn April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow swept across North America, treating millions to a breathtaking view of a total...Read the StoryAgainst a black background, the total solar eclipse. It is a black circle surrounded by white, wispy streams of light that flow away from the black circle in every direction.SafetyCitizen ScienceEclipse TypesScienceHistoryEye Safety During an EclipseObserving our star, the Sun, can be safe and inspirational.Except for a specific and brief period of time during a total solar eclipse, you must never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection, such as safe solar viewing glasses (eclipse glasses). Eclipse glasses are NOT the same as regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun. During a total solar eclipse, you must wear your eclipse glasses (or use other solar filters) to view the Sun directly during the partial eclipse phase. You can only take your glasses off during the short time when the Moon completely obscures the Sun – known as the period of totality. If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, which projects an image of the Sun onto a nearby surface.It is safe to look at the Moon with unprotected eyes or through a telescope during all types and during all stages of a lunar eclipse.Learn MoreA family wearing eclipse glasses watches the total solar eclipseA family wearing eclipse glasses watches the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.NASA/Shannon ReedCitizen Science ProjectsObserving a solar eclipse is one of many ways to get in on the fun of doing science.You can get involved with NASA science by participating in a number of NASA-funded citizen science projects. Citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. Through these collaborations, volunteers (known as citizen scientists) have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries.Read MoreA burst of orange material flows out from the Sun, against a dark red background. The image is overlayed on a graph, labed Solar Y and Solar X. The image is also labeled as SDO-AIA 2011-Jan-20/A closeup of a solar jet on the Sun captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Jan. 20, 2011. Participants in NASA’s Citizen Science program Solar Jet Hunter help identify solar jets in spacecraft images for further study.NASA/SDO/Solar Jet HunterKnow your eclipses!There are four types of solar eclipses: Total, partial, hybrid, and annular.The type of eclipse that people get to see depends on how the Moon aligns with Earth and the Sun, and how far away the Moon is from Earth. There are three types of lunar eclipses: total, partial, and penumbral. At least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, but total lunar eclipses are rare. Unlike a solar eclipse, it is always safe to look at a lunar eclipse with the naked eye.Learn MoreFrom left to right, this image shows a total solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse, and partial solar eclipse. A hybrid eclipse can appear as either a total or annular eclipse (the left and middle images) depending on the viewer's location.From left to right, this image shows a total solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse, and partial solar eclipse. A hybrid eclipse can appear as either a total or annular eclipse (the left and middle images) depending on the viewer's location.Science of EclipsesEclipses aren’t just beautiful – they’re great for science.In addition to inspiring artists and musicians, eclipses have driven numerous scientific discoveries. For over a century, solar eclipses helped scientists decipher the Sun’s structure and explosive events, find evidence for the theory of general relativity, discover a new element, and much more. NASA scientists still study eclipses to make new discoveries about the Sun, Earth, and our space environment. Total solar eclipses are particularly important because they allow scientists to see a part of the Sun’s atmosphere – known as the corona – which is too faint to see except when the bright light of the Sun’s surface is blocked.Learn MoreA burst of solar material blooms out in the solar atmosphere, shown in dark red and yellow. The Sun is blocked by a dark red circle, revealing this atmosphere.NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, constantly observes the outer regions of the Sun’s corona using a coronagraph, which blocks the bright solar disk.ESA/NASA/SOHOHistory of the EclipseEclipses have fascinated humans from the beginning.Throughout time, humans have had different interpretations of and reactions to these striking celestial events. In fact, historical records of eclipses from scribes in Anyang, China, helped astronomers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to determine how Earth’s rotation has changed over time. Determining exactly when the eclipse was seen and where the Moon's shadow fell on Earth helped the scientists calculate the rate of Earth's spin. The eclipses they used for this research were in 1226 B.C.E., 1198 B.C.E., 1172 B.C.E., 1163 B.C.E., and 1161 B.C.E. ​Learn MoreThis composite image shows the progression of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.This composite image shows the progression of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.NASA/Bill IngallsApril 8, 20242024 Total Solar EclipseA total solar eclipse is seen in Dallas on Monday, April 8, 2024.A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe.April 8, 20242024 Total Solar EclipseA large black disk is in the center. This is the Moon. Around it, white streams of light glow against a black background. On the bottom of the disk and on the right side, there are small, bright pink triangles of light.Eclipse StoriesExplore All Eclipse StoriesImage Article2 min read2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Prediction vs. RealityAn image comparing a solar corona model on the left and an actual image of the solar corona on the right. A white line vertically cuts through the middle of the image.Image Articlemin readSeeing the Solar Eclipse from 223,000 Miles AwayArticle3 min readGLOBE Eclipse Challenge: Clouds on Our Solar Powered EarthGray dots on a map of the world show the distribution of data collected during the GLOBE Eclipse challenge, 15 March - 15 April 2024. Concentrations of dots appear in the United States, Europe, and southern Asia. Trails of observations over the oceans indicate data collected onboard a ship.Article3 min readInfiniscope and Eclipse Soundscapes Collaboration Reaches 1,766 Middle School StudentsCollage showing 14 of the 19 educators selected and one tortoise observer with eclipse glasses.2 min readNASA’s LRO Observes 2024 Solar Eclipse ShadowArticle2 months agoAgainst a black background, the total solar eclipse. It is a black circle surrounded by white, wispy streams of light that flow away from the black circle in every direction.5 min readThe April 8 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASAArticle2 months agoA photo showing a sequence of the different stages of the eclipse going across the sky.2 min readMore Than 36,000 Volunteers Helped Do NASA Eclipse ScienceArticle2 months agomin readSeeing TotalityImage ArticleEclipses Gallery20 ImagesGo To GalleryGo To GalleryKeep ExploringDiscover More Topics From NASASunTendrils of hot plasma stream from the Sun.MoonMoon superimposed on the earth2024 Total Eclipse2024 facts 1SkywatchingA man looks through a telescope at twilight.
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