In fact: The Moon’s orbit isn’t perfectly round. That means that sometimes the Moon is slightly farther away from Earth than it is at other times. Sometimes the Moon is far enough away that it doesn’t create a total solar eclipse. In this case, the Moon obscures most of the Sun, but a thin ring of the Sun remains visible around the Moon.
Space Place
“Even though the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, it’s also about 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun is. This means that from Earth, the Moon and the Sun appear to be roughly the same size in the sky. So, when the Moon comes between Earth and the Sun during a total solar eclipse, the Moon appears to completely cover up the light from the Sun.“
Exploratorium
“In the final seconds before the moon completely covers the Sun, there is a last bright flash, combined with an emerging view of the corona—the Sun’s upper atmosphere—encircling the moon. This produces a spectacular effect called the diamond ring. After the diamond ring disappears, you have a couple of seconds to notice another layer of the Sun, the crimson-colored chromosphere, before it, too, is eclipsed.”
NASA
“The shadow that the Moon casts has two main parts: the darker inner shadow called the umbra, and a fainter outer shadow called the penumbra. Within the umbra, the Sun’s light is completely blocked. In the penumbra, the Sun’s light is only partially blocked. To see a total solar eclipse, an observer must be within the umbra. Observers in the penumbra will witness a partial eclipse, with only part of the Sun covered by the Moon. Those outside the Moon’s shadow will see no eclipse at all.”
CBC News
“Total solar eclipses occur when the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking out its light. The path of that shadow is extremely narrow, which is why most people have likely never seen one.“
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