How often do eclipses happen?
Every year has between four and seven eclipses, at least two of them solar. Total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months, but any one place waits on average about 375 years between them. Lunar eclipses are seen far more often, because they are visible from the whole night side of Earth.
Key facts
| Eclipses per year | 4 to 7 |
|---|---|
| Solar eclipses per year | 2 to 5 |
| Lunar eclipses per year | 0 to 3 (counting penumbral, 2 to 5) |
| Eclipse seasons | About every 173 days |
| Saros cycle | 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours |
| Total solar eclipse at one spot | On average every ~375 years |
Why there isn't an eclipse every month
The Moon passes between Earth and the Sun every month at new moon, but its orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's orbit, so usually it passes a little above or below the Sun. An eclipse can only happen when a new or full moon falls near one of the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses Earth's, called the nodes. That lines up roughly twice a year, in “eclipse seasons” about 173 days apart, each giving at least one solar and usually one lunar eclipse.
The saros cycle
Ancient astronomers in Babylon noticed that eclipses repeat in a pattern. After 18 years, 11 days and about 8 hours (6,585.3 days), the Sun, Moon and nodes return to almost the same arrangement, and a near-copy of an eclipse happens again. The extra third of a day means each repeat is shifted about 120° west in longitude, so it is seen from a different part of the world.
Why total solar eclipses feel so rare
The path of totality is narrow, usually less than 250 km wide, and most of it crosses ocean. So although a total eclipse happens somewhere about every year and a half, a given city waits on average around 375 years between them, though some places get two within a few years and others go many centuries without one.
Lunar eclipses are easier
A lunar eclipse is visible to everyone on the night side of Earth at the time, more than half the planet. That's why most people have seen several lunar eclipses but never a total solar eclipse.
See every eclipse for the next ten years on the eclipse list, with the ones visible from your city.
Questions people ask
How many eclipses can there be in one year?
At most seven: either four solar and three lunar, or five solar and two lunar. The minimum is four, two of each.
How often is there a total solar eclipse?
Somewhere on Earth, about once every 18 months on average.
Why do eclipses come in pairs?
A solar and a lunar eclipse usually happen about two weeks apart, in the same eclipse season, because both need the Moon close to one of its nodes.
Sources
Last updated October 20, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.