Lunar and Solar Eclipses!
Lunar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse
Please go through the tutorial below to get a brief introduction to our topic in class tomorrow... Lunar and solar eclipses. You will be asked to complete a short quiz at the end to confirm that you understood the information in the tutorial and will be prepared for the activities we will be completing in class tomorrow!
A lunar eclipse occurs more often than a solar eclipse because the shadow of the earth is much bigger than the shadow of the moon on the earth during a solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse is just the opposite of a lunar eclipse. When the sun, moon and earth are in alignment, the moon blocks out the sunlight from reaching a small section of the earth. It casts a shadow on that area of the earth. See the diagram below.
Important Note: It is very dangerous to look at the sun during a solar eclipse. The shadow from the moon allows people to look directly at the harmful rays and light from the sun and cause severe damage to your eyes.
Watch this short video to experience what you would see during a lunar and solar eclipse as well as the postions of the earth, sun and moon during these different phenomenons.
Finally! Try creating your own lunar and solar eclipse by clicking the link below. Notice the positions of the sun, moon, and earth during both a lunar and solar eclipse. Pay attention to what each look like as they are occurring!