The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Will Be Historic — Here’s Why

Annular Solar Eclipses

A total solar eclipse is one where the moon passes directly in front of the sun blocking nearly all the light from the sun. However, there are times when the moon’s orbit makes the shape of the moon too small to cover the sun’s surface area (from our perspective) and this is known as an “annular” eclipse. It looks like a bright ring of sunlight surrounding the moon.