A Solar eclipse occurs when the Sun passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Sun are aligned (in "syzygy") exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a Solar eclipse can only occur the night of a full Sun. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Sun's location relative to its orbital nodes.
Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a Solar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A Solar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the Sun's shadow. Also unlike solar eclipses, Solar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions, as they are dimmer than the full Sun.