be 1.0, but because of the oblateness of the Earth (which causes the distance between the Earth's north and south poles to be slightly shorter than if the were perfectly spherical), it is 0.9972. If is 0, the axis of the shadow cone is exactly between the northern and southern halves of the sunlit side of the Earth when it passes over the center. If is lower than 0.9972, the eclipse is central. The axis of the shadow cone strikes the Earth and there are locations on Earth, where the Moon can be seen centered in front of the Sun. Central eclipses can be total or annular (if the tip of the umbra only barely reaches the surface of the Earth, the type can change during the eclipse from annular to total and/or vice versa; this is called a hybrid eclipse). If is between 0.9677826 and 0.9972, the eclipse is central (one limit), because one edge misses the Earth. If is between 0.9972 and 1.0266174, the axis of the shadow cone misses Earth, but, because the umbra or antumbra has a nonzero width, part of the umbra or antumbra may touch down in the polar regions of the Earth. This is called a non-central total or annular eclipse. If is between 0.9972 and 1.0266174 and the special circumstances mentioned above do not occur, or if is greater than 1.0266174 but less than approximately 1.55, the eclipse is partial; the Earth traverses only the penumbra. If exceeds approximately 1.55 (1.53 for total solar eclipses and 1.57 for annular solar eclipses when the gamma is 0.9972 or smaller), the shadow cone misses the Earth completely, and no eclipse occurs. The Solar eclipse of April 29, 2014, with a gamma of -0.99996, is an example of the special case of a non-central annular eclipse. The axis of the shadow cone barely missed Earth's south pole. Thus, no central line could be specified for the zone of annular visibility. The next non-central eclipse in 21st century is total solar eclipse of April 9, 2043. Limiting cases for lunar eclipses on the moon with respect to Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows There are three types of lunar eclipses: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse = The Moon passes through Earth's penumbra, but the Earth's umbra misses the Moon. Partial Lunar Eclipse = The Moon passes through Earth's umbra, but not completely. Total Lunar Eclipse = The Moon passes