Solar eclipses are rare, but not as rare as you might think. And fortunately, they can be predicted with great precision. There will be a total of 224 in the 21st century, for instance.
About a third of those will be partial eclipses, which are not very exciting to the naked eye. Another third will be annular eclipses, in which the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, but it is too far away to block the Sun completely. These are spectacular, but not quite as awe-inspiring as the total eclipses that make up the final third.
The video above, produced by Tech Insider, shows a globe and timeline marking out the dates and paths of all the total and annular eclipses between now and 2040.
There might be one near you. If not, there’s plenty of time to make travel plans.
