the passing of the Moon¹s shadow across the Earth.

This is when the Moon's shadow is cast onto the Earth. It will take place during the new moon, and is only visible from places lying in the path of the shadow. The time, duration and nature of the eclipse will vary with location. A partial eclipse occurs when the Earth enters the lighter outer shadow of the Moon - the penumbra. When the dark central cone of the lunar shadow - the umbra - crosses the Earth's surface, a total eclipse will be observed from that region. Occasionally, when the Moon is near apogee (its furthest point from Earth), the umbra will fall short and a ring-shaped annular eclipse will be visible at the centre of the shadow.