In a solar eclipse, what comes between the Sun and the Earth?

An eclipse happens when a planet or a moon gets in the way of the Sun's light. From the Earth we can see two kinds.

In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocks the Sun's light and casts its shadow on the Earth. For a few minutes in the middle of the day, the sky grows dark. Astronomers have their own name for this: an occultation, which simply means one object blocking our view of another.

A total solar eclipse, in which the Moon covers the whole face of the Sun, happens somewhere on Earth about every year and a half. That does not mean most people will see one. The Moon's shadow on the Earth is small, so you have to be on the sunny side of the planet and inside the narrow path of the shadow. On average, any one place on Earth sees a total solar eclipse for a few minutes only about once every 375 years.

Watching one also needs care. Except during the brief moment when the Moon completely hides the Sun, it is never safe to look straight at the Sun, even when most of it is covered. Special eclipse glasses or an indirect method, such as a pinhole viewer, are needed to watch safely.