Hi Laura,

The reason why you don't see more solar eclipses in the United States is that a solar eclipse is only visible in a narrow strip on the Earth's surface, called the eclipse path. This is because the size of the dark spot on the Earth's surface created by the Moon's shadow is only about 65 miles in diameter. The dark spot will move across the surface of the Earth very rapidly due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis, so a total solar eclipse lasts for only a short period of time - up to about 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Each time there is a solar eclipse, the eclipse path travels across a different part of the Earth's surface. You might have to wait a very long time for the eclipse path to travel across the United States.

On the other hand, a total lunar eclipse can be seen by everyone on the night side of the Earth. The maximum total number of possible eclipses in 1 year is 7, with about 2-5 solar eclipses and 2-3 lunar eclipses. Only about half of these eclipses are total. Even though there are about the same number of lunar and solar eclipses in 1 year, you have a better chance of seeing a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse. This is just because the lunar eclipse is visible over a greater area. If you want to see a total solar eclipse, it is a lot easier to travel where the eclipse will happen than to wait for an eclipse near you.

Kris