Solar eclipses occur on average between 2 and 5 times per year globally. The typical number of solar eclipses each year is around 2.38, with a minimum of two and a maximum of five, though having five in one year is very rare. These eclipses happen because the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun during the New Moon phase, but due to the tilt of the Moon's orbit, eclipses only occur during specific periods called eclipse seasons. A total solar eclipse, where the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon, happens somewhere on Earth approximately every 18 months. However, for a given location on Earth, a total solar eclipse is much rarer, occurring on average about once every 375 years. This rarity is due to the narrow path of totality and the relative positions and distances of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Additionally, solar eclipses tend to repeat in similar patterns every 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours in a cycle called the Saros cycle. In summary:
- Solar eclipses occur 2 to 5 times per year globally.
- Total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth approximately every 18 months.
- Any given spot on Earth sees a total solar eclipse roughly every 375 years.
- Solar eclipses happen during eclipse seasons due to the Moon's orbital tilt.
- Eclipse patterns repeat in an 18-year Saros cycle.
