“If this thing could happen every day for a year, I would never move from where I am” (Mass 71). This powerful phrase represents a woman's opinion after observing a total solar eclipse. This natural phenomenon is said to be extraordinary and continues to fascinate many people around the world. Solar eclipses are called nature's greatest coincidence and are something beautiful that can have a strong effect on people. A solar eclipse can only occur if the moon is in its new moon phase when it passes between the earth and the sun. If the moon's shadow fell on the Earth's surface at that time, then we might see part of the sun eclipsed, or covered, by the moon. Even though we have a new moon about every month, we don't have an eclipse. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted five degrees toward the Earth's orbit around the Sun, resulting in the shadow just missing it. However, usually about twice a year the geometry aligns so that the moon's shadow falls somewhere on Earth and an eclipse can be seen from that area. The above geometry is what...