Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #011 Phases & orbit

Total solar eclipses will run out. In roughly 600 million years the Moon will be too far away to cover the Sun.

As the Moon recedes, its apparent size shrinks. Annular eclipses, the 'ring of fire', where the Moon is too small to cover the disc, already happen when the Moon is near the far end of its orbit. Eventually every solar eclipse will be that kind. We're living in the era when the fit still works.

Source: NASA eclipse resources (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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