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My First Question: what is difference between "Solar eclipse" & "New Moon"?
Another Question: i saw Solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 with naked eyes, but my eyes are working proper, but wikipedia shows retina will get damaged, if we don't wear "eclipse glasses", then how come my eyes are still working?
The new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun. The three objects are in approximate alignment. The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the back side of the moon, the half that we cannot see.
The moon's orbit about the earth is about 5 degrees off from the earth-sun orbital plane.
However, at special times during the year, the earth, moon, and sun do in fact "line up". When the moon blocks the sun or a part of it, it's called a solar eclipse, and it can only happen during the new moon phase.
Source: http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml