Solar and lunar eclipses

An eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up. In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and its shadow falls on Earth, so it can only happen at new moon; a total solar eclipse is visible only along a narrow path where the Moon's darkest shadow falls. In a lunar eclipse, Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon, so it can only happen at full moon, and it is visible from the whole night side of Earth; the Moon often turns a coppery red because sunlight bent through Earth's atmosphere still reaches it. Eclipses do not happen every month because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbit, so the Moon usually passes just above or below the Sun-Earth line. Never look at the Sun during a partial solar eclipse without certified eclipse glasses.

This explanation is AI-generated and can occasionally be wrong. 🚩 Report