What happens during an eclipse of the Sun?

Once in a while the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun as it makes its way around Earth. It temporarily blocks out the Sun, casting a shadow on a portion of Earth that is experiencing day. When this total eclipse of the Suna solar eclipseoccurs, the part of Earth affected becomes dark and cold until the Moon passes by. Surrounding areas experience a partial eclipse, when just part of the Sun is temporarily covered by the Moon.

When shown next to the Earth (the little dot on the right) you can really get a sense of how huge our Sun is! (NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt)