Total
The Moon covers the entire bright solar disc. Along a narrow path on Earth, daylight briefly fades and the delicate solar corona appears around the black disc.
The Sun. The Moon. You.
For a moment,
light disappears.
A few minutes that stay with you for a lifetime. Discover solar eclipses, see how they happen, and prepare for your own encounter with the Moon’s shadow.
Explore an eclipse↗View my photographsThe sky can still surprise us. Know when to look up.Begin exploring ↓
SUN / MOON / EARTH — ILLUSTRATION
01 /Understand the phenomenon
An extraordinary meeting.
Precise geometry.
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow onto our planet.
From the ground, we watch the Moon’s dark disc gradually cover the Sun. This can happen only at new moon. It does not happen every month: the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5.1° relative to Earth’s orbital plane, so its shadow usually misses our planet.
Inside the umbra, observers can see a total eclipse; in the penumbra, a partial eclipse; beyond the tip of the umbra, in the antumbra, an annular eclipse. The narrow eclipse path sweeps across Earth as the Moon moves and our planet rotates. Your observing location makes all the difference.
≈ 400×the Sun is larger than the Moon — and approximately that much farther away
5,1°orbital tilt of the Moon, explaining why not every new moon brings an eclipse
2–5solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth each year
Annular
The Moon appears too small to cover the whole Sun. A bright ring remains at maximum. Eye protection must stay on throughout this eclipse.
Partial
The discs overlap only partly. The Sun looks like a circle with a bite taken out or a crescent. Outside the central path, total and annular eclipses are also seen as partial.
02 /Solar System perspective
Sun, Moon and Earth.
Architecture of the shadow.
Before looking up from the ground, view the eclipse from space. Move the Moon along its orbit and see when its shadow cone reaches our planet.
3D Orbital Simulation · Sun – Earth – Moon
Interactive 3D space · Bodies moving strictly along Keplerian ellipses
↻ Drag with mouse or touch to rotate 3D camera
Position on 3D ellipse
Effect on 3D Earth globe
Interactive 3D perspective model. Earth moves along its heliocentric ellipse around the Sun, and the Moon moves strictly along its 3D elliptical orbit around Earth (with Earth at the focus, perigee P, apogee A and nodes ☊/☋). Drag the stage to rotate the 3D camera.
03 /See how it works in 3D
Move the Moon.
Shift your 3D perspective.
Play the sequence or scrub the slider. Watch the 3D lunar sphere travel strictly along its elliptical orbital arc across the Sun.
Interactive 3D laboratory
3D view of discs & lunar orbital arc
Current phase
Educational schematic. Sizes, path and speed are illustrative; this animation does not predict conditions or timing for a specific location. The outer glow illustrates the corona, not the view through a solar filter. The C1–C4 description below follows a total eclipse. A partial eclipse has only C1 and C4; in an annular eclipse, C2 and C3 mark the beginning and end of annularity.
First contact
The Moon’s edge touches the solar disc. The partial phase begins, usually lasting much longer than the central phase.
Totality begins
Only inside the path of totality does the last part of the bright photosphere disappear. Baily’s beads and the diamond ring may appear at the Moon’s uneven edge.
Maximum eclipse
A total eclipse reveals the corona, an annular eclipse leaves a bright ring, and a partial eclipse reaches its greatest coverage of the Sun.
Light returns
C3 ends the central phase: protection must be back on before the photosphere reappears. At C4 the Moon moves completely clear of the solar disc.
04 /Heroes of the eclipse
Three celestial bodies.
One cosmic coincidence.
Meet the Sun, Earth and Moon — their physical parameters, their role in an eclipse, and the dramatic story of how each of them formed over 4.5 billion years ago.
Select a celestial body and visualization mode
05 /History, myths and power
When the Sun went dark,
fear and obedience were born.
For millennia, sudden darkness at midday was seen as the wrath of the gods. Those who learned to predict eclipses gained a potent instrument of power over the public.
Interactive historical stage · choose a culture and scrub through the ritual
Public mood
Mechanism of power & manipulation:
06 /On the timeline
Some behind us.
Others still to come.
The next encounters with the shadow and recent celestial spectacles. Choose the event that will start your journey.
Total solar eclipse
Mexico, USA, CanadaView on the map →
PastAnnular solar eclipse
Pacific, southern Chile and ArgentinaView on the map →
PastPartial solar eclipse
Europe, North Atlantic, northwestern AfricaView on the map →
PastPartial solar eclipse
New Zealand, South Pacific, AntarcticaView on the map →
PastAnnular solar eclipse
AntarcticaView on the map →
PastTotal solar eclipse
Greenland, Iceland, SpainView on the map →
PastAnnular solar eclipse
South America, Atlantic, western AfricaView on the map →
UpcomingTotal solar eclipse
Southern Spain, northern Africa, Middle EastView on the map →Local times for cities →
UpcomingAnnular solar eclipse
South America, Portugal, SpainView on the map →
UpcomingTotal solar eclipse
Australia, New ZealandView on the map →
UpcomingRegions mainly describe the path of the central phase or the visibility area of a partial eclipse. They do not imply visibility across an entire country. See the exact shadow path, coverage and times for any place on the interactive eclipse map (in Polish). Before you travel, compare them with NASA maps.
07 /Get ready
A good plan.
A safe view.
Proper eye protection is your most important equipment. Plan everything else ahead so you can simply be present at the decisive moment.
Check location and weather
Choose a location inside the path of totality or annularity if you want the central phase. Check local timing, clouds, access and an unobstructed horizon. In Spain in 2026 the Sun was low — hills or buildings could hide the finale.
Check viewers and supervise children
Inspect your solar filter before use. Do not use it if scratched, punctured or damaged. Put protection on before looking at the Sun, and turn away before removing it. Children must always be supervised.
Protect your optics
Cameras, binoculars and telescopes need a suitable solar filter secured in front of the objective lens. Never use eclipse glasses as a substitute for an optical filter when looking through them — concentrated light can damage the filter and your eyes.
Know the totality exception
Unfiltered viewing is safe only during the fully total phase, strictly inside the path of totality, when the whole bright photosphere is hidden. Replace protection before totality ends. If uncertain, keep it on.
Try indirect viewing
A small hole in a card projects an image of the Sun onto a second card. Look at the projection, never through the hole at the Sun. Gaps between leaves can also project dozens of solar crescents.
Leave a moment for yourself
Practice with your camera before travelling. Bring spare batteries, water, sun protection and a warm layer. During the central phase, notice the surroundings too: changing light, temperature and the natural world’s response.
Your pre-trip checklist
Ready for the shadow
Check off what you have packed. This list is saved only in this browser.
08 /A personal sky journal
Spain, 2026.
The light I remember.
My photographs from the solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 near Zaragoza. A small part of an extraordinary spectacle.
Photography: Marek Mucha · Spain, 12 August 2026 · Originals remain in a private archive.
Spain 2026: the story and the eclipse timeline→Explore the sources
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