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Different Stages in Solar Eclipse

There are 5 stages in a total solar eclipse:
  1. "Eclipse Begins" - instant of first external tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the start of partial solar eclipse;
  2. "Total Eclipse Begins" - instant of first internal tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the start of total solar eclipse;
  3. "Maximum Eclispe" - when the centre of the Moon is closest to the centre of the Sun;
  4. "Total Eclipse Ends" - instant of last internal tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the end of the total solar eclipse;
  5. "Eclipse Ends" - instant of last external tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the end of a partial solar eclipse.

During an annular eclipse, there would be "Annular Eclipse Begins" and "Annular Eclipse Ends" instead of the "Total Eclipse Begins" and "Total Eclipse Ends" while in a partial solar eclipse, there would be no "Total Solar Eclipse Begins" and "Total Solar Eclipse Ends".
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