Shadows The evenly dark part of a shadow is called the umbra. Umbra means 'shade' in Latin. The fuzzy part between the dark and the light is called the penumbra. Pene means 'almost' in Latin.

If one is in the umbra of an object, the light source is completely obscured. If one is in the penumbra, the source is only partially obscured, to a greater or lesser degree as one moves through the penumbra.

Early in history it was understood that eclipses of the Sun and the Moon are related to the shadows of the Moon and the Earth. During an eclipse of the Sun, the shadow of the Moon sweeps across the Earth. We see the Sun blocked by the Moon. During an eclipse of the Moon, the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Here is a diagram of what the shadow of a planet in space looks like.

People who are in the umbra shadow, experience a total solar eclipse People who are in the umbra shadow, experience a total solar eclipse. People who are in the penumbra experience a partial solar eclipse.

NASA - Eclipses During 2012 The next time a total solar eclipse will be visible in the northeastern U.S. is 2017!