Partial Solar Eclipse of 2011 Jan 04
Partial Solar Eclipse of 2011 Jun 01
Total Lunar Eclipse of 2011 Jun 15
Partial Solar Eclipse of 2011 Jul 01
Partial Solar Eclipse of 2011 Nov 25
Total Lunar Eclipse of 2011 Dec 10
Solar eclipses are caused by the shadow of the Moon hitting the Earth. Solar eclipses happen on the Earth.
Every year
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon is in the direct path between the Sun and Earth. Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is in the direct path between the Sun and the Moon.
There will be four partial solar eclipses in 2011, and NO total solar eclipses. You can view the catalog of all eclipses from 2000 BCE to 3000 AD on the NASA Eclipse Web Page.
Five is the theoretical maximum number of solar eclipses in one calendar year; generally 4 partial eclipses and one total or annular eclipse. This configuration happens about every 200 years or so. Interestingly, there will be four solar eclipses in 2011; all will be partial eclipses, visible (if at all) only from polar regions. The last time there were five solar eclipses in a year was in 1935; the next time will be in 2206.
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth's shadow to fall on the Moon. Solar eclipses happen when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light from reaching Earth. Lunar eclipses can only happen during a full moon, while solar eclipses can only occur during a new moon.
Most people may think lunar eclipses occur more often because lunar eclipses are visible from a larger geographic area on Earth compared to solar eclipses. Lunar eclipses also last longer and are easier to observe with the naked eye, making them seem more common. However, in reality, both lunar and solar eclipses occur at about the same frequency.
About twice a year.
Yes
There are two main types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Lunar eclipses occur every 6 months. Solar eclipses occur 2-5 times per year. Eclipses can be partial or total. Partial eclipse covers only part of the sun or moon, while total covers the full entity.
There are normally two solar eclipses each year. However, due to a curious alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun, there will not be ANY solar eclipses in 2011!
According to Kosmos Himmelsjahr 2010, it seems that the next solar eclipses are on Jan. 4, 2011, June 1, 2011, and July 1, 2011. All of these are partial eclipses - no total solar eclipses in 2011. You can view the catalog of all eclipses from 2000 BCE to 3000 AD on the NASA Eclipse Web Page, at the link below.