Total Solar
The Moon completely covers the Sun's disc. Sky darkens; the corona becomes visible. Rare and brief.
Track every grahan of the year with precision timings, sutak windows, and Vedic interpretations. Localised for your geographical position so visibility, magnitude, and ritual timing all match what you'll actually see.
Visibility is calculated for each eclipse and matched to your locale.
What's actually happening in the sky during each eclipse type.
The Moon completely covers the Sun's disc. Sky darkens; the corona becomes visible. Rare and brief.
The Moon covers only part of the Sun. Looks like a bite has been taken out of the solar disc.
Earth's shadow fully engulfs the Moon. The Moon turns deep red — the famed “blood moon”.
Only part of the Moon enters Earth's umbra. A dark, copper-tinted shadow creeps across one side.
Science meets śāstra — what each eclipse means in the sky and in Vedic astrology.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun as observed from Earth.
This happens during a new moon phase when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are precisely aligned in a straight line, a configuration known as "syzygy." The Moon's umbral shadow traces a narrow path across Earth's surface, known as the path of totality. Observers within this path experience complete darkness during daytime, and can witness phenomena such as the Sun's corona, solar prominences, and chromosphere, which are usually obscured by the Sun's intense light.
In Vedic astrology, a total solar eclipse is considered a highly significant and often inauspicious event. The Sun, representing the soul, vitality, authority, and the divine father, is temporarily obscured, symbolizing a disruption in natural order and cosmic harmony. Eclipses are associated with the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu (the lunar nodes), which in mythology are depicted as cosmic serpents consuming the Sun or Moon. Astrologers believe that this period can bring sudden changes, challenges to leadership, and upheavals. It is advised to avoid initiating new ventures, signing important documents, or making major decisions during the eclipse. Instead, people are encouraged to engage in spiritual practices like meditation, chanting mantras (such as the Gayatri Mantra), and performing acts of charity to mitigate any negative influences.
In Vedic cosmology, an eclipse is the moment Rahu and Ketu — the lunar nodes, often called the shadow planets — swallow the luminaries. Solar eclipses occur when Rahu (north node) crosses paths with the Sun; lunar eclipses arrive when Ketu (south node) eclipses the Moon. Each grahan amplifies karmic threads tied to the houses they touch in your natal chart.
Do's: chant the Mahamrityunjaya or Gayatri mantra, sit in meditation, take a bath after the eclipse ends, donate grains and dark cloth to those in need. Don'ts: avoid eating, sleeping, or beginning new ventures during the grahan window. Pregnant women traditionally rest indoors and avoid using sharp objects until the eclipse passes.
The sutak period begins 12 hours before a solar eclipse and 9 hours before a lunar eclipse — a contemplative window where temple doors close, cooked food is set aside with tulsi leaves, and the household quiets. Sutak ends only after the eclipse releases and a fresh bath is taken. We compute exact sutak start and end times for your location with every eclipse listing.
An editorial piece on the upcoming grahan — its Saros family, the rashi it falls in, and the karmic themes it activates.
Scroll through recent grahan events with their visibility footprint.
Modern astronomy describes an eclipse as a geometric alignment — Sun, Moon, and Earth falling onto a single line. Jyotish accepts the geometry but reads its meaning differently. Eclipses are the moments when the unseen — Rahu and Ketu, the chhaya graha or shadow planets — assert themselves over the visible luminaries. The Sun is atma (soul), the Moon is manas (mind). When either is briefly devoured, the texture of consciousness in the world shifts.
Sutak is the ritually sensitive window before and during an eclipse. It begins 12 hours before a solar eclipse and 9 hours before a lunar eclipse, and ends only when the eclipse releases. Refrain from eating, place tulsi leaves over cooked food, take a fresh bath after the eclipse releases, donate to a person in need, and only then prepare and eat fresh food. Pregnant women rest indoors and traditionally avoid sharp objects.
Remedies during grahan are amplified — what would take weeks of consistent practice can shift in a single eclipse window if undertaken with focus. Mantra (108 repetitions of Mahamrityunjaya), charity (sesame seeds, urad dal, dark cloth, or iron items connected to Rahu and Ketu), and meditation are the three reliable upayas the sages prescribed.