Image 1 Caption: Eclipse paths for bi-decade 2001--2020.
Image 2 Caption: Eclipse paths for bi-decade 2021--2040.

The eclipse paths are for both total solar eclipses and annular solar eclipses.

Features:

1. An eclipse path is the path of the Moon's umbra on the Earth's surface during a total solar eclipse or the path of the annularity region (caused by the Moon) over said surface during an annular solar eclipse.

   The width of the path is set by region of totality for total solar eclipses and by the region where the annulus of the Sun can be seen for annular solar eclipses.

2. Mainly because of the axial tilt Earth's axis from the ecliptic pole, the eclipse paths are curved as the image shows: i.e., curved with respect to straight lines of latitude on a Mercator projection map.

3. Because the Moon can be at any distance up to an Earth's radius above or below the ecliptic plane during an eclipse season, eclipse paths can be at any latitude, even at the Earth's poles.

   If counterfactually the Moon's orbit was in the ecliptic plane, we would have total/annular solar eclipses every new moon, the eclipse paths would be confined to the tropics: i.e, ∼ 23.4 south latitude to ∼ 23.4 north latitude.

4. Note that the eclipse paths are very wide in Arctic and Antarctic. This is probably for two reasons. First and certainly, Mercator projection stetches out all lengths as one moves away from the equator. Second and probably, the umbra gets stretched out when landing on the more tilted surfaces that are far from the equator.

5. A solar eclipse region (umbra and penumbra) sweeps basically eastward in space. The Earth also turns eastward. In this horse race, the solar eclipse region is faster, and so it moves mainly eastward on the surface of the Earth.

   So the umbra on an eclipse path moves mainly eastward on the surface of the Earth.

   Yours truly recalls from somewhere that the umbra on/over the Earth for ∼ 3.5 h at most???.

6. On the Earth's surface, the lunar umbra or eclipse path has a maximum width is 267 km (see Wikipedia: Solar eclipse: Path) and the approximate maximum east-west extend is probably a bit less. The longest totality for any one place is 7 m, 32 s (see Wikipedia: Solar eclipse: Occurrence and cycles; Wikipedia: Solar eclipse: Path).

7. The fiducial minimum eclipse path velocity is the mean orbital velocity of the Moon moving approximately eastward in space minus the tangential speed of a point on the Earth's equator (which is moving exactly eastward at the maximum Earth surface velocity):

     v = 1.022 - 0.46511 = 0.5569 km/s = 33.41 km/m = 2005 km/h  .  

   The actual minimum eclipse path velocity varies a bit depending on various factors and is more typically ∼ 1700 km/h (see Wikipedia: Solar eclipse: Occurrence and cycles).

   The maximum fiducial minimum eclipse path velocity occurs at the Earth's poles where the Earty is NOT rotating at all. The value is, of course 1.022 km/s = 3679 km/h.

8. As Image 2 shows, there was a good annular solar eclipse whipping through the western USA on 2023 Oct14. This annular solar eclipse is the annular solar eclipse of 2023oct14 Saturday. So you'll have to whip up to Elko, Nevada to see the annularity. For the detail of the annular solar eclipse in Elko, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada, see, respectively, Time&Date: Eclipses in Elko, NV, USA and Time&Date: Eclipses in Las Vegas, NV, USA.

9. Also as Image 2 shows, there was good total solar eclipse whipping across the USA and over Port Colborne, Ontario (yours truly's hometown) on 2024 Apr08. This is the total solar eclipse is the total solar eclipse of 2024apr08 Monday.

Images:

1. Image link: NASA Eclipse Web Site.
   
2. Image link: NASA Eclipse Web Site.