Path of Totality

Please note the "lakes" shown on the map are salt lakes that are usually dry. Any water that they may contain is unfit to drink!

The Eclipse Path on the Earth.
The Moon's shadow during a total solar eclipse has two parts: the umbra, where a total eclipse is seen, and the penumbra, where only a partial eclipse is seen. The umbra is quite small, perhaps as narrow as a few kilometres or as wide as a couple of hundred; whereas the penumbra is much wider, a couple of thousand kilometres or so.

This means, of course, that when a total eclipse occurs, it is only visible from a small part of the Earth, whereas the accompanying partial eclipse is seen over a much larger area. However, the shadow isn't simply a "spot" on the Earth; due to the movement of the Earth and Moon, and rotation of the Earth, the shadow actually races across the Earth's surface at around three thousand kilometres per hour, causing the Moon's shadow to "write" a long track across the Earth. This track is shown in the light blue part of the first map below.

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So, What is a Solar Eclipse?