Apogee and Perigee 

The Moon travels in a not-quite-circular orbit around Earth, meaning that it is at times closer to us than others. We call the Moon's closest point to Earth "perigee," and its farthest point from Earth is "apogee." 

When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while near perigee, it completely blocks out the Sun causing a total eclipse. When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and it is near apogee, it creates an annular eclipse that covers most of the Sun; the edges of the Sun remain visible and create a "ring of fire." 


For more information: 
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5093 

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