Annular solar eclipse. Composite image showing the progress of the annular solar eclipse of 10 May 1994 in seven stages. A solar eclipse occurs when t

---

Annular solar eclipse. Composite image showing the progress of the annular solar eclipse of 10 May 1994 in seven stages. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun's light. An annular eclipse is when the Earth is relatively close to the sun (near perihelion) and the moon is relatively far from the Earth (near apogee). The disc of the moon then appears smaller than that of the sun, so a ring (or annulus) of the sun's surface remains visible. When the Earth is further from the sun and closer to the moon, the same alignment will result in a total solar eclipse.

---

Size: 5125px × 4149px
Photo credit: © DR FRED ESPENAK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 10/5/94, annular, astronomy, cosmology, eclipse, image, lapse, science, sequence, solar, sun, time, time-lapse