This book (now in a 5th edition) methodically explains why eclipses of the sun and moon happen, their intricate patterns in time and space - and why they are so exciting.There are page-spreads, with dynamic globe diagrams, for examples of the main kinds of eclipse and several curious cases such as a broken-ring eclipse , a geometrically tight eclipse , a globe-skimming eclipse . There is lingering many-page treatment of two great solar eclipses: the ideal one of July 1991 that went over Hawaii, Baja California, and Mexico; and that of August 2017 across the U.S.A. from Oregon to South Carolina.Rich illustrations, including the 12-page bead curtain chart of all eclipses from 1901 to 2116; Eclipse stories (with some cartoons); eclipses of the future; tables; index.