Look at that moon go.

In case you haven’t checked the definition the last few times it’s happened, a solar eclipse is when the moon’s orbit takes it directly between the Earth and the Sun. You wouldn’t think such a (relatively) small celestial object would be able to block the gigantic Sun’s light, but the reason it works is because, during an eclipse, the moon passes perfectly overly the little point in the sky where the sun is. The light’s still there, you just can’t see it from your position on the Earth.

There are two kinds of solar eclipse: a total one, and a partial one. A partial eclipse is when the moon only partially covers the sun. Things get a little shady, but it’s still basically daytime. A total eclipse is the fun one; during a total eclipse, everything turns completely pitch black, darker than even the night sky. Moonlight is just the Sun’s light bouncing off the moon, so when you don’t have either, it gets pretty dang dark!

The most recent example of a total eclipse was in Chile last July. It was a pretty big deal; people came from all over the world to experience true darkness. The city of La Serena, which was the focal point of the eclipse, had to bulk up on food and gas in preparation for the massive influx of tourists. It was a pretty crazy event, but it was all worth it when the moment came. The moon passed over, everything went pitch black, and the crowd’s cheers were almost deafening. The actual eclipse only lasted about two and a half minutes, but what a two and a half minutes they were.

Based on scientific predictions, the next total solar eclipse will occur on December 14, 2020, once again over Chile. If you’re considering spots for a holiday vacation, I think you just got a contender.