welcome
Space

Space

Science

Science

What's the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

Space
Summary
Nutrition label

73% Informative

The next total solar eclipse will occur on Aug. 12, 2026 , and will be visible from Greenland , Iceland and Spain .

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth gets between the sun and the moon, causing Earth 's shadow to be projected onto the lunar surface.

There are two "eclipse seasons," each of which lasts between 31 and 37 days .

Total solar eclipses and total lunar eclipses tend to be the crowd-pleasing eclipse types.

Total solar eclipse is visible from somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months .

Total lunar eclipse can be seen from any given location about once every 2.5 years, according to Time and Date.