eclipse    It  occurs  when the Earth, the moon and the sun are in a straight  line. The moon  (or  the Earth) comes  in between  the other two, resulting in the shadow of one to fall on the other.

In  solar  eclipse, the moon blocks off the sunlight. It can only occur at new moon. The angle subtended by the moon and the sun  at the Earth is almost the same. Total solar eclipse occurs only when the  moon is closest to the Earth This can be observed within  the  umbra*.  When  eclipse occurs with the moon farthest from the Earth, its apparent dimension cannot block the entire sun, giving annular (ring shaped) eclipse. The solar eclipse makes it possible to  observe  the  solar  corona which otherwise remains obscure, being at much lower temperature compared to the core of the sun.

The lunar eclipse occurs at full moon when the Earth's shadow falls on the moon’s surface.