{"response":"{\"What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun from view on Earth.

Imagine you're sitting outside on a sunny day, eating an ice cream cone. Suddenly, your friend the Moon comes between you and the Sun, like a giant shield, and poof, part of the sky goes dark! That’s what happens during a solar eclipse.

The Earth, Moon, and Sun are all dancing in space. Sometimes, when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, it blocks some or all of the sunlight from reaching us.

• If only part of the Sun is blocked, it’s called a partial solar eclipse, like when your friend covers just one side of your ice cream cone.
• If the whole Sun is blocked, it's called a total solar eclipse, and suddenly you're eating your ice cream in the middle of a mini night!

During a total solar eclipse, the sky gets dark enough to see stars! The temperature might even drop a little, like when your ice cream starts to melt slower on a cooler day.

It’s like having a giant shadow move over you, but instead of a shadow from a tree or a cloud, it's from your friend the Moon!