Solar and Lunar Eclipses & their characteristics
                     SOLAR AND LUNAR 
ECLIPSES & THEIR 
CHARACTERISTICS
WHAT IS AN ECLIPSE?
An eclipse occurs when a planet or moon 
obstructs the way of sunlight. On Earth, we 
can see two types of eclipse – Solar Eclipse 
and Lunar Eclipse.
cnn.com
SOLAR ECLIPSE
Solar eclipses occur when the earth, moon 
and sun are in a straight line, i.e., moon 
obstructs the way of sun’s light entering 
Earth. There are 2 to 5 solar eclipses 
occurring every year. They only last for a few 
minutes.
telescopeobserver
.com
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Total solar eclipse occurs when the moon 
completely covers the Sun when viewed from 
Earth. Total solar eclipse is limited to certain 
areas while other areas may see a partial 
solar eclipse.
verge.com
PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
A partial solar eclipse is seen when the moon 
can only partially cover the Sun’s disk, the 
Sun and moon are not exactly in line with 
Earth. Partial eclipses may be unnoticeable 
due to the Sun’s brightness. 
gbtimes.com
LUNAR ECLIPSE
Lunar eclipse occurs when Earth comes in the 
way of sunlight falling on the moon and the 
Earth’s shadow covers the moon. Unlike Solar 
eclipse, Lunar eclipse can be seen at any 
night side of Earth and lasts for up to two 
hours.
study.com
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
Total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth’s umbra, the dark, 
central shadow completely covers the moon. Light 
reflected during this eclipse from moon’s surface is the 
refracted light from Earth’s atmosphere.
As a result, moon appears reddish and is also called the 
‘blood moon’.
cnn.com
PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
Partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a part 
of the moon is obscured by the Earth’s 
shadow. The Moon dims only slightly.
earthsky.com
RARE ECLIPSE
The ‘Ring of fi re’ seen during an eclipse is a rare 
phenomenon, where the sun appears like a ring, with 
its center covered by the moon.
The ‘Super blue blood moon’ is another rare lunar 
eclipse phenomenon which will be only seen next in 
2033.
bbc.co.uk
CAUTION
During Solar eclipse, never look directly at 
the Sun, as it can cause permanent eye 
damage. Special solar eclipse viewing glasses 
must be used.
There is no harm for the eye in viewing the 
Lunar eclipse.
britannica.com