Tilted Moon Path

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth. That exact line-up is rare because the Moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees compared with Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

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In the picture

Bright lamp: the Sun
Globe: Earth
Tilted hoop: the Moon’s orbit around Earth
Small ball: the Moon at a crossing point of its tilted orbit
Thin string: the direct Sun-Earth line

Examples

A ball rolling around a tilted hula hoop crosses a straight string through the hoop only twice per loop.
Two friends walking on different sloped paths line up with the same lamppost only now and then.

Key takeaways

Solar eclipses need the Moon to be new and near a crossing point of its tilted orbit.
Most months the Moon passes above or below the Sun, so no eclipse occurs.