How does a solar eclipse occur?The moon moves into Earth's shadow. The moon moves in front of the sun and casts a shadow on Earth during the new moon phase.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. Here are the steps:

1. The Moon orbits around the Earth. The Earth, in turn, orbits around the Sun.

2. During its orbit, there are moments when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun. This alignment doesn't happen every month due to the Moon's orbit being slightly tilted relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

3. When the alignment does occur, the Moon blocks the light from the Sun.

4. The Moon's shadow is then cast onto the Earth. If you are in the path of this shadow, you will see the Sun being obscured by the Moon. This is a solar eclipse.

5. The type of solar eclipse (total, partial, or annular) depends on the exact alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

6. The eclipse ends when the Moon moves out of the path between the Earth and the Sun, allowing sunlight to reach the Earth fully again.