39 Shadows in Space-Mid

Shadows in Space FOCUS Question What happens when Earth and the Moon make shadows on each other?

What Is an Eclipse? The Sun is missing! Where did it go? People once told stories about why the Sun or Moon sometimes disappeared from the sky. Maybe a dragon ate it! Now we know it is an eclipse (e-KLIPS). An eclipse happens when Earth or the Moon blocks light coming from the Sun and makes a big shadow.

Imagine reading a book. Someone walks between you and the light. The person makes a shadow on the book, so it is hard to see the words. The Sun is a very bright light. But when Earth blocks light from the Sun, the Moon is hard to see.

Hiding the Moon A full Moon is bright in the night sky. A shadow creeps across its face. An eclipse of the Moon is called a lunar eclipse. It happens when the Moon, Earth, and Sun line up. The Moon moves into Earth's shadow, so it looks dark. We see the Moon again when it moves out of this shadow.

Sometimes the Moon, Earth, and Sun are in a straight line. The whole Moon is in Earth's shadow. This is a total lunar eclipse. Sometimes Earth's shadow does not cover the whole Moon. This is a partial (PAR-shul) lunar eclipse. Stages of a Lunar Eclipse 1. The Moon starts to enter Earth's shadow. 2. The Moon is covered by Earth's shadow. Light from Earth makes a dim glow on the Moon. This is a total lunar eclipse. 3. The Moon has almost left Earth's shadow.

Hiding the Sun The Sun disappears. Earth gets dark. But it is daytime! This is a solar eclipse. This time, the Moon gets between the Sun and Earth. The Moon blocks most of the sunlight and makes a shadow on Earth. Imagine holding your book in front of the light. It blocks the light and makes a shadow on you. This is like a solar eclipse!