Total solar eclipse · 12 August 2026
Follow the
Moon’s shadow.
For a few extraordinary minutes, the Moon passes exactly between us and the Sun. Move through time to see its shadow race across Earth.
Drag the globe to explore
Why eclipses are rare
Most months,
the shadow misses.
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Two journeys at once
Earth circles the Sun in 365.25 days. The Moon circles Earth in 27.3 days on a path tilted by 5.1°.
New moon meets a node
New moon returns every 29.5 days, but eclipses are possible only in two short seasons each year. On 12 August it reaches a node.
Stand inside the shadow
In the tiny umbra the Sun is fully covered. In the broad penumbra, only part disappears.
OrbitA repeating path around another object. Earth goes around the Sun; the Moon goes around Earth.
Diagram is not to scale