Do Eclipses Occur Every Month?

Total solar eclipses happen when the moon crosses between the sun and Earth and casts its shadow onto our planet, but Earth doesn't experience a total solar eclipse every month. ... There are just two times a year in the Earth's orbit when there is a possibility of a total solar eclipse.

How often does an eclipse happen?

Solar eclipses are fairly numerous, about 2 to 4 per year, but the area on the ground covered by totality is only about 50 miles wide. In any given location on Earth, a total eclipse happens only once every hundred years or so, though for selected locations they can occur as little as a few years apart.

Why do eclipses not happen every month?

Because the moon's orbit wobbles up and down with respect to the Earth, the satellite's shadow can be too high or too low to cause a solar eclipse. ... If the moon partially covers the sun for a given location, that area experiences a partial solar eclipse.