LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Sky-watchers from the South Pacific to the Americas will witness the first solar eclipse of 2005 on Friday when the moon blots out part of the sun.
It will be a partial eclipse rather than a total one, in which the Earth is cast into darkness. But it will be the last partial solar eclipse visible from the continental United States until May 20, 2012.
Solar eclipses occur when the Earth, sun and moon line up in such a way that the moon casts a shadow over Earth.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/0....ap/index.html