Different Shadows

• UMBRA - the fully shaded inner region of a shadow cast by an opaque object

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• PENUMBRA - the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.

What is an Eclipse?

•  The total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another.

• An eclipse is an astronomical event; one object in the sky moves into the shadow of another object.

• Solar eclipse = New moon shadow crosses the Earth's surface

• Lunar eclipse = Earth shadow darkens the full moon

What type of ECLIPSE is shown here?

Solar Eclipses

• Only happen during NEW MOON phase

• Happen 2-5 times per year on different parts of Mother Earth

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• There are different types of solar eclipses: total, partial, & annual.

Total Solar Eclipse

• Happen when the sun is completely blocked by the moon.

• Only visible from a specific part of the Earth. The moon is considerably smaller and this its shadow will only pass through a narrow path on Earth’s surface.

• Areas around that path will only see a partial solar eclipse.

Partial Solar Eclipses

• When the Moon doesn’t completely cover the Sun.

• The Moon passes off-center and only a portion of the Sun is obscured.

Annular Eclipse

• The Moon doesn’t cover the entirety of the Sun, even if the Moon’s completely centered in front of it. This happens because the Moon’s orbit is an elliptical and the Moon is closer to the Earth.

• During this kind of eclipse, the bright ring around the Moon is called the “ring of fire.”

During this kind of eclipse, the bright ring around the Moon is called the “ring of fire.”

Eclipses look different depending on your location/viewpoint.

ECLIPSES

• A lunar eclipse happens when the earth passes in between the moon and the sun. EARTH SHADOW

• A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in between the earth and the sun. MOON SHADOW

SOLAR vs. LUNAR

• SOLAR eclipse = NEW MOON

• Part of the earth darkens

• LUNAR eclipse = FULL MOON

• Moon darkens/changes color

Solar eclipse = MOON SHADOW

LUNAR ECLIPSE = FULL MOON

• TOTAL - Earth's shadow completely covers the moon

• PARTIAL - part of the Moon's visible surface moves into the umbra of the Earth's shadow.

• PENUMBRAL - only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth falls on moon’s face. 

TOTAL - Moon is completely covered by Earth's shadow

PENUMBRAL - moon passes through Earth's penumbra

Blood Moons...

• During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the way of the sun's light hitting the moon. The moon can also look reddish because Earth's atmosphere absorbs the other colors while it bends some sunlight toward the moon.

BLOOD MOONS