Solar eclipse. Coloured image of a total solar eclipse on 26 February 1998, showing the diamond ring effect. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's disc, seen as the dark disc here. This effect allows observations of the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona), which is normally invisible due to the brightness of the Sun's surface. The diamond ring effect is seen before or after totality when only a tiny fragment of the solar disc seems to flare out for a few seconds. There are a minimum of two solar eclipses per year visible from Earth. This eclipse was photographed from Judibana, Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela.