Eclipses

Eclipses are astronomical events that occur when one celestial body moves into the shadow of another or blocks part of its light. The most familiar types involve the Sun, Earth, and Moon. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, hiding all or part of the Sun from certain areas on Earth.

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, causing Earth’s shadow to fall across the Moon. These events only happen when the positions of the three bodies are correctly aligned.

Solar eclipses are visible only from specific regions of Earth and can last from a few seconds to several minutes during the total phase. Lunar eclipses can be seen from a much larger part of the planet and are safe to observe without special equipment.

Eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted compared with Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Scientists study eclipses to learn more about the movements of celestial bodies, and these events have helped improve our understanding of the Solar System.