Question

Which lunar phase is a solar eclipse most likely to occur?

Answer 1

solar eclipse happens only on new moon/.

Explanation:

solar eclipse happens only on New moon.

Answer 2

A solar eclipse can only happen in the new moon phase.

Explanation:

For a solar eclipse to occur, the moon must be between the Earth and the Sun so that it can cover the Sun'a disk as sen from the Earth.

This means that a solar eclipse is only possible during the new moon phase.

A solar eclipse doesn't happen at every new moon because the Moon's orbit is inclined at about `5^@` to the ecliptic.

A solar eclipse can only happen around the time of a new moon when the Moon is also close to one of it's nodes. A node is where the Moon's orbit intersects the ecliptic.

There are between 2 and 5 solar eclipses each year. Total solar eclipses are relatively rare and average about once every 18 months.