First: protect your eyes
For direct viewing of the Sun, use an intact, properly made solar viewer that complies with ISO 12312-2 and follow its instructions. Ordinary sunglasses are not safe solar filters. Inspect viewers for damage and supervise children. The American Astronomical Society’s safety guide explains the method and links to reputable suppliers.
Never look through an unfiltered telescope, binoculars or camera viewfinder while wearing eclipse glasses. Concentrated sunlight can damage the viewer and injure your eyes. Optical equipment requires a suitable solar filter secured over the Sun-facing aperture; seek expert guidance before using it.
The only direct-view exception is the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the bright solar surface is completely covered and you are inside the path of totality. Protection is required again before any bright surface reappears. There is no such exception during an annular or partial eclipse. Do not use a generic animation, an app countdown or this article as the signal to remove eye protection.
Three common views of the alignment
In a partial eclipse, the Moon covers only part of the Sun’s disk from your position. Even a very thin remaining crescent is still the Sun and needs safe viewing.
In a total eclipse, the Moon’s apparent disk completely covers the bright solar surface for observers in a narrow path. The much fainter corona becomes visible. A location outside that path can have a large partial eclipse without experiencing totality.
In an annular eclipse, the Moon appears too small to cover the whole solar disk. A bright ring remains around it at maximum. “Ring of fire” is a popular name, not a statement that unfiltered viewing becomes safe.
The country name is not enough
A headline may say an eclipse crosses Spain or Egypt. That does not mean every observer in that country sees the same thing. Check an authoritative map for your exact observing point, and check local contact times as well as the Sun’s height and direction.
A hill, a building or a low horizon can hide an eclipse that is geometrically visible. Travel planning also needs weather probabilities, transport, access and a backup site. A location calculator cannot settle those practical questions.
For upcoming dates and links, start with NASA’s future-eclipse calendar. As checked on September 5, 2026, the next solar eclipses listed are an annular eclipse on February 6, 2027 and a total eclipse on August 2, 2027. Follow the event’s detailed path map before making plans.
Why this does not happen at every new Moon
The Moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees relative to Earth’s orbital plane around the Sun. At most new Moons, the shadow passes above or below Earth. An eclipse needs the new Moon to occur close enough to one of the places where the orbital planes cross.
The Sun and Moon also change apparent size slightly as their distances from Earth change. That helps determine whether a central eclipse is total or annular. A simple diagram with three circles can explain the alignment without accurately predicting a real eclipse.
Use the right tool for the job
SkyLumi can help you explore the Sun, Moon and surrounding sky, but its ordinary sky map is not a validated eclipse-contact timer or a solar-safety device. For eclipse planning, use the event maps and instructions linked above.
If you prefer an indirect view, a pinhole can project an image of the eclipsed Sun onto a surface. You look at the projected image, never through the hole at the Sun. Practice the method beforehand and follow the AAS instructions.
Sources and image credits
- American Astronomical Society: eclipse eye safety. Direct and indirect viewing, solar viewers and the totality-only exception.
- American Astronomical Society: filters for optical equipment. Why binoculars, telescopes and cameras need appropriate front-mounted filters.
- NASA: eclipses and the Moon. Orbital geometry and eclipse types.
- NASA: future eclipses. Upcoming eclipse dates checked September 5, 2026; exact local circumstances require an event map.
Written for beginners from the sources above. How we research and correct the library. Found an error? Tell us.