Total Lunar Eclipse

An eclipse of the Moon, or

lunar eclipse, is when the
Earth is between the Sun
and Moon and only occurs
if the Moon passes
through all or some
portion of Earth's umbra
shadow therefore blocking
sunlight directly striking
the Moons surface. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or
almost exactly.
A lunar eclipse occurs at night and only when there is a Full Moon. A lunar eclipse can last for
many hours, and can be seen from the entire night side of the Earth.

Total Solar Eclipse

An eclipse of the Sun, or a
solar eclipse, is when the
Moon is between the Sun
and Earth and only occurs
when the Moon is at just
the right distance and
angle in the sky to cover
the Sun, this can only
occur when the Sun, Moon
and Earth are exactly
aligned producing a Total Solar Eclipse. The Moon also has to be at or near one of its nodes; a
node is simply the point at which the Moon crosses the eliptic from south to north or vice versa
as it orbits the Earth.
A Total Solar Eclipse occurs during daytime and only when there is a New Moon. A solar eclipse
duration is short with totality lasting from a few secounds to a few minutes. A Total Solar Eclipse
is only seen by a minority of people along a narrow corridor and appears different according to
ones location and distance from the central track of totality.