Lunar Eclipse

What Is a Lunar Eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun and the
Earth's shadow completely or partially obscures the moon.

They only happen at night, during a full moon There are, on average, three lunar
and when the Earth, Sun and Moon are eclipses a year but not all of them are
aligned. total eclipses.
 Did You Know…?
An ‘eclipse’ occurs when one object in space From Earth, there are two main
blocks an observer from seeing another types: solar eclipses and lunar
object in space. eclipses.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be

viewed without any special equipment and
without any danger to your eyes.

Because the Moon reflects the Sun’s light, a

lunar eclipse will never be brighter than a full
moon.
 Parts of the Eclipse
The Earth casts two different shadows as it blocks the Sun’s light.

Penumbra

Umbra

Watch this video to see how it happens.

 Are There Different
Types of Lunar Eclipse?
There are three types of lunar eclipse.

1 Total Lunar Eclipse

This is when the Moon passes completely into the umbra,
or total shadow, of the Earth.

If the Moon is
completely in the It’s because of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s shadow, The Sun’s rays pass through the ring
why does it look of atmosphere around the Earth and
red and not dark? are filtered. It is mostly red light that
i passes through and is refracted onto
the Moon’s surface, making it appear
red. Some people call this a ‘Blood
Moon’.
Stages of the Total Lunar Eclipse

“Lunar Eclipse August 2007” by [Chris Baird] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Are There Different
Types of Lunar Eclipse?

2 Partial Lunar Eclipse

This is when the Moon does not fully move into the umbra.

The Earth’s shadow

covering a small amount of
the Moon.

“PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE” by [tonynetone] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Are There Different
Types of Lunar Eclipse?

3 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

This is when the Moon only passes through the penumbra or partial shadow.
This type of eclipse is only just visible.

Slightly darker area

of shadow.
 What Is a Super Blood Wolf Moon?
On 21st January 2019, a special kind of lunar eclipse happened.

SuperBlood Wolf Moon

A ‘supermoon’ happens during a full moon when the Moon is at its
closest point to Earth. The Moon appears bigger and brighter in
the sky than usual.

A ‘wolf moon’ is the name of the first full moon of the year in January. It
was so-called by Native American tribes and Europeans alike as it
occurs during the winter when wolves are often heard howling.

On this date, a total lunar eclipse (‘blood moon’) happened during the first full moon of the
year, which was also when the Moon was at its closest point in orbit.

Thus, this special event earned the nickname

‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’.
What Is a Super Blood Wolf Moon?

The Super Wolf Blood Moon of 2019, not yet at total eclipse.

“Super Wolf Blood Moon” by [Jason Jacobs] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Wolf Moon 2020
The following year, the wolf moon occurred during a penumbral eclipse.

The wolf moon of 2020 (10th January)

 How To Get The Best View
Check to see when the next lunar eclipse will occur.

Be on the night-time side of the Earth when it happens!

Watch the full moon from a spot without tall trees or buildings.

The whole eclipse may take a few hours but, if you are in the umbra, the total eclipse
(when the Moon turns red) may last only an hour.
“Total Lunar Eclipse” by [Takeshi Kuboki] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 What Is a Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse happens when the light

of the sun is blocked by the moon.

This makes the sky dark, which means

some stars may be visible during the
daytime.

Photo courtesy of maaco (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
The outer edge of
the sun can be
seen in greater
detail than usual
when an eclipse
occurs.

Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Why Do Solar Eclipses Happen?

When we look up from Earth, the

moon appears about the same size
as the sun.

During a solar eclipse, the moon

comes between the Earth and the
sun. The moon blocks out the light
of the sun.

A solar eclipse can last for as long

as seven minutes or as little as
thirty-one seconds.

Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Solar and Lunar Eclipse Difference
 Can You Look at a Solar Eclipse?

Photo courtesy of dsevilla (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

It can damage your eyes if you look directly at a solar eclipse.

Protect your eyes with special glasses made for solar eclipse viewing or
view an eclipse using a pinhole projector.
 What Is a Solar Eclipse?
A total eclipse is when the sun’s
light is completely obscured or
blocked out by the moon.

When only a part of the sun is

blocked, it is called a partial
eclipse. This happens two to five
times a year.

The last total solar eclipse to be

seen in the United States occurred
on August 21, 2017.

The next total eclipse in the U.S.

will be on April 8, 2024.
Photo courtesy of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Photo courtesy of Sky Noir (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution