There are three types of solar eclipses.
They are:
- Total Eclipse: when the moon completely
obscures the sun, leaving only the sun's
corona visible.
- Partial Eclipse: when the sun and moon
are out-of-line, so the sun is only partially
obscured.
- Annular Eclipse: when the moon is at
its apex, it's not quite large enough to completely
obscure the sun. In this case the outer edge of
the sun remains visible. This is a combination of
a total and a partial eclipse.