Solar and lunar eclipses occur when the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun cause one astronomical body to block light from another.
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Eclipse
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Explanation
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Lunar
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The Moon passes through Earth’s shadow, which is cast by the Sun. The Moon dims, but remains faintly visible.
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Solar
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The Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth’s surface. The Moon’s shadow can either partially or totally block the Sun from view.
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The Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which is why eclipses don’t happen every month.
Here are some other things to know about solar and lunar eclipses:
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Types of solar eclipsesTotal, partial, and annular. In an annular eclipse, the Moon’s disk is too small to cover the Sun’s disk completely, so a ring of the Sun’s disk is visible.
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FrequencySolar eclipses are visible from different parts of Earth two to five times a year, and most years have at least one total solar eclipse. Most years have two lunar eclipses.
You can make a model of a lunar eclipse using a flat surface, a small ball to represent the Sun, and other materials.
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