Eclipse Syllabus
Solar Eclipse Learning Center
Browse the full SolarWatch eclipse curriculum: foundations, totality phenomena, celestial mechanics, history, August 2026 planning, and enthusiast deep dives.
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Photography Guides
Learn how to capture stunning photos using natural light and sun position
2 min read
How to find golden hour for your photo shoot
Find warm, low-angle light using your location, date and Sun position. Check terrain and weather, then choose camera settings for the photograph you want.
3 min read
How to plan a photo shoot around the sun's position
Choose a shooting position, check where the sunlight will fall, and plan for blocked horizons before your next outdoor photo shoot.
3 min read
How to plan a wedding or portrait session around sunset
Build a wedding or portrait timeline from the sunset time, golden hour, blue hour and sun direction for your exact venue and date.
Astronomy & Eclipses
Understand moon phases, solar eclipses, and celestial events
3 min read
How Animals React During a Total Solar Eclipse
Birds quiet down, insects may start evening calls, temperatures drop, and stars appear. Learn how animals and nature can react during totality.
3 min read
The August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse: Everything You Need to Know
The August 12, 2026 eclipse crossed the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic and Spain. It illustrates why local circumstances matter: nearby places experienced different contact times, duration and Sun altitude.
2 min read
How Babylonians Learned to Predict Eclipses
Babylonian eclipse prediction grew from careful sky records, omen traditions, and repeating lunar cycles. Learn what they could and could not predict.
3 min read
Baily's Beads and the Diamond Ring Effect
Baily's beads and the diamond ring effect happen when sunlight passes through lunar valleys at the edge of totality. Learn what to watch for.
2 min read
Eclipse Chasers: A Brief History of Totality Tourists
Eclipse chasing has grown from scientific expeditions and Victorian travel into modern totality tourism. Learn why people travel for a few minutes of darkness.
3 min read
C1, C2, C3, C4: The Four Contact Points of an Eclipse
Learn what eclipse contact times mean, why C1 through C4 are local, and how they guide safety, photography, and totality planning.
2 min read
The Eclipse That Stopped a War
The Battle of Halys eclipse is one of history's most famous eclipse stories. Learn what happened in 585 BCE and why the Thales prediction is debated.
2 min read
Helium Was Discovered During an Eclipse
During the 1868 solar eclipse, spectroscopy revealed a mysterious yellow line in the Sun's atmosphere. That line led to the discovery of helium.
3 min read
How Eclipse Predictions Work
A clear guide to how solar eclipses are predicted using orbital models, Besselian elements, lunar terrain, and local circumstances.
3 min read
The Moon's Elliptical Orbit and Eclipse Types
The Moon's distance from Earth changes through its elliptical orbit. Learn why perigee and apogee help decide whether an eclipse is total or annular.
3 min read
Why the Moon Looks the Same Size as the Sun
The Moon is much smaller than the Sun, but it is also much closer. Learn the cosmic coincidence that makes total solar eclipses possible.
4 min read
The Path of Totality Explained
What the path of totality is, why it is a narrow ribbon, how fast it moves, and why local planning matters.
4 min read
Perihelion and Aphelion: When Earth Is Closest to the Sun
Earth is closest to the Sun in early January and farthest in early July. See the dates for the next few years and how much the distance changes sunlight.
4 min read
The Saros Cycle: How Eclipses Repeat Every 18 Years
The Saros cycle is the roughly 18-year rhythm that links related eclipses. Learn why eclipses repeat and why each one still lands somewhere new.
4 min read
Shadow Bands: The Ripples Before Totality
Shadow bands are faint, wavy lines that can ripple across the ground just before and after totality. Learn what causes them and how to look for them.
3 min read
The Solar Corona: The Sun's Hidden Crown
The solar corona is the Sun's faint outer atmosphere, visible during totality. Learn why eclipses reveal it and why it is scientifically mysterious.
3 min read
How a Solar Eclipse Proved Einstein Right
The 1919 total solar eclipse let astronomers measure starlight bent by the Sun, giving famous early evidence for Einstein's general relativity.
4 min read
Magnitude, Obscuration, and Gamma: Eclipse Numbers Explained
Eclipse magnitude, obscuration, and gamma describe different parts of solar eclipse geometry. Learn what each number means and how to read them.
1 min read
Ancient Eclipse Myths Around the World
A tour of solar eclipse mythology, from dragons and wolves to ancient sky stories that helped people explain sudden darkness.
3 min read
How to Safely Watch a Solar Eclipse
Learn the essential solar eclipse safety rules: ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses, safe indirect viewing, camera filters, and when totality is safe.
3 min read
The Four Types of Solar Eclipse
Total, annular, partial, and hybrid solar eclipses explained in plain language, with the shadow geometry behind each type.
3 min read
What Is a Solar Eclipse?
A plain-language guide to solar eclipses: how the Moon covers the Sun, why totality is rare, and what you can see from the path of totality.
5 min read
Why Earth Is Closest to the Sun in Northern Winter
Earth is nearest the Sun in early January, in the middle of the northern winter. Learn why distance does not cause the seasons and what the tilt of Earth's axis does instead.
3 min read
Why Doesn't a Solar Eclipse Happen Every Month?
Solar eclipses need a new Moon plus a node crossing. Learn why the Moon's tilted orbit makes eclipses seasonal instead of monthly.
Navigation & Direction
Use the sun and stars to find your way
4 min read
How to angle a solar panel using the sun's elevation
Work out the best tilt for a balcony or portable solar panel from the sun's height, see how much a few degrees off really costs, and get reminded when to adjust it.
3 min read
How to find civil twilight times for flying, cycling and outdoor work
Civil twilight is when the Sun is less than 6° below the horizon. Learn how long it lasts, why pilots use it to define night, and how to look it up for any place.
3 min read
How to find out when the sun reaches your home or garden
Find which hours a window, balcony or garden bed gets direct sun, and how that changes between summer and winter, using the sun's path, shadows and the real horizon.
Sun & Health
UV exposure, vitamin D, and sun safety
App Guides
Get the most out of SolarWatch features
Put These Guides into Practice
Download SolarWatch to get precise golden hour times, sun position, and moon phases for your location.
