SOLAR SYSTEM
Eclipse
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able
to
a. Define an eclipse.
b. State the major types of eclipse and
explain them.
c. Sketch the different types of eclipse.
What is an eclipse?
■ An eclipse occurs when one object in space blocks an observer from seeing
another object in space.
■ Eclipses happen because planets, moons, and other objects constantly move
through space. For instance, Earth travels around the sun in a path called an
orbit. As Earth moves around the sun, the Moon makes its own orbit around
Earth. An eclipse involves three space objects temporarily lining up in a row.
TYPES OF ECLIPSE
■From Earth there are two main types of
eclipses: SOLAR ECLIPSES and LUNAR
ECLIPSES.
Solar Eclipse
■ In a solar eclipse the Moon passes between the sun and Earth. This
prevents the sun’s light from reaching Earth. As the Moon passes in
front of the sun, the Moon’s shadow sweeps across Earth. The sky
gradually grows darker.
■ During a solar eclipse the Moon comes between Earth and the sun.
■ The eclipse is not seen from every place on Earth, but only from the
locations where the shadow falls. From these locations, it appears as if
the Sun has gone dark.
■ There are two main parts
of the Moon's shadow
during an eclipse called
the UMBRA and
PENUMBRA
■ UMBRA - The umbra is
the portion of the Moon's
shadow where the Moon
completely covers the
sun.
■ PENUMBRA - The area of
the shadow where only a
portion of the Moon is in
front of the Sun.
TYPES OF SOLAR ECLIPSES
Depending on what part of the shadow you are located in, there are three
types of eclipses:
TOTAL - A total eclipse is where the Sun is covered completely by the
Moon. The portion of the Earth that is in the umbra experiences a total
eclipse.
ANNULAR - An annular eclipse is when the Moon covers the Sun, but the
Sun can be seen around the edges of the Moon.
PARTIAL - A partial eclipse is when only a portion of the Sun is blocked by
the Moon. It occurs when the observer is within the penumbra.
■ Looking directly at any solar eclipse can seriously hurt
one’s eyes. It should never be attempted.
■ Solar eclipses can only occur during a New Moon when
the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun and the 3
celestial bodies form a straight line: Earth–Moon–Sun.
LUNAR ECLIPSE
■ A lunar eclipse occurs
when the Moon passes
through the Earth's
shadow.
■ Lunar eclipses have the
same three phases or
types as solar eclipses
including the umbra
(total), antumbra
(annular), and penumbra
(partial).
■ During a lunar eclipse Earth blocks sunlight from
reaching the Moon. The sun, Earth, and the Moon line
up, with Earth in the middle. The Moon is then in
Earth’s shadow. But the Moon does not appear
completely dark. Instead, it glows a dim orange or red
color. This is because some light reaches the Moon
indirectly. This light bounces off the gases surrounding
Earth and then hits the Moon.
■ Lunar eclipses can be total or partial. Unlike a solar
eclipse, a lunar eclipse is safe to view directly.
Lunar eclipses can be seen by a much larger area of the Earth
than solar eclipses.
They also can be viewed without special equipment to protect
the eyes.
Lunar eclipses are not totally dark. The Moon will reflect some
sunlight that is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. The light
that is refracted is reddish in color and can cause the Moon to
appear a dark brownish-red.
Lunar eclipses only happen at Full Moon
Types of Lunar Eclipses:
■ TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: This type of eclipse happens when the sun and the
moon are positioned on direct opposite sides of the Earth. Even though the
Earth’s shadow is covering the moon, a small bit of the sun’s light does hit
the moon.
This happens when the light is passing through the atmosphere on Earth and
filters out most of the light that is blue and leaving the red color.
When viewed from Earth, the moon then has a reddish color. Some people
throughout history have called this a “blood moon.”
■ PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: this type of eclipse occurs when only a portion of
the moon is shadowed by the Earth. The partial eclipse makes the shadow
caused by the Earth look dark on the moon side that is facing the Earth.
The view of this eclipse is dependent upon where the sun, moon, and Earth are
aligned.