So, solar eclipses are actually not that rare. On average, they’ll occur every 18 months. But what is very rare is that you, on even given point on this planet, will be under the shadow of the moon. So when the moon casts its shadow onto the surface of the earth it actually only covers a very tiny portion, less than one percent of the surface area. So it is really a thing about you have to be at the right time at the right place.

Like the name says, one is total, meaning the moon covers 100% of the surface of the sun and the other one is called partial because the moon doesn’t cover 100%. Maybe just 90% or 99%. The difference is literally day and night becase just 1% still visible of the sun is bright enough to make it look to you to almost look like a normal day. A total eclipse, when the sun is completely covered, then you will see all these spectacular and awe-inspiring things that you enjoy when you see a total solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse is actually something very, very simple. What happens is and this is an awfully incorrect scale model. Here is our sun, which is of course, way bigger in relation to the earth and the moon. This is our moon. This is our earth. But just to demonstrate what is going on, you will know that our moon is orbiting around the earth. Sometimes, the moon orbits right between our earth and the sun, and it casts its shadow onto the surface onto the earth. Then you will experience a solar eclipse.

First of all, it gets dark. That, you probably expect. But the thing is, it is a weird darkness. It is not like night. It is not going to get pitch black dark, but it gets very, very close to pure dark twilight. It is dark enough, so when you look up you see the solar corona. This is the outermost atmosphere of the sun. Like a ghostly glow emanating from the moon. And then of course you see stars. It is so dark you see the brightest stars in the sky. And you see the planets. You see very easily Mercury and Venus, which are always very close to the sun in your sky. The most impressive thing, at least for me, is you have a 360-degree sunset on your horizon.

You don’t want to look directly into the sun. Before totality and after totality you need protective googles. What is even more important is that your don’t use any optical devices to increase and magnify the intensit of the sun. Don’t use any binoculars, even if it is very tempting. Cameras can be difficult, it depends if the light can get to your eye. It can really damage your eye and that’s why we have these protective goggles.

At the moment of totality, when the moon really totally covers the sun, you have to take it off because otherwise you miss it. Miss the entire show. Those glasses cut down intensity over 99.9%. So you will miss all of the spectacular views during totality.

The average duration between solar eclipses is 375 years. If you don’t want to move, it is a solar is a very, very rare event. Probably a once in a lifetime event for you.