Glossary of Astronomical Terms/annular eclipse

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An annular eclipse is a solar eclipse that occurs when the moon is at or near its furthest point from the Earth in its orbit around the Earth.

When the moon is at its closest to us, it appears large enough so that it can completely cover the sun, and we can get a total eclipse. When the moon is farther away, it can appear smaller than the sun, and so we can get an eclipse where the moon is surrounded by a ring (annulus) of sunlight.