When the Moon appears to block the Sun as seen from Earth, the event is called a solar eclipse. It occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and casts its shadow onto part of Earth's surface.
A solar eclipse can be partial, total, annular, or hybrid, depending on the alignment and the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon. In a partial eclipse, the Moon covers only part of the Sun. During a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the bright solar disk for observers inside the narrow path of totality.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely, leaving a bright “ring of fire.” The Moon's orbit is tilted relative to Earth's orbit around the Sun, so eclipses do not happen at every new moon. They occur only when the three bodies align closely enough near an orbital node.
The event is not a lunar eclipse, which happens when Earth moves between the Sun and Moon and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. Safe, certified solar viewing equipment is required when observing any uneclipsed portion of the Sun.