Understanding Solar and Lunar Eclipses: Explained!

❓The sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon, but it is also about 400 times further from the Earth, making them appear similar in size in the sky.

🕰️The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse, causing it to grow and shrink in size as seen from the Earth.

🔆A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on a portion of the Earth.

🌑A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon.

✨Solar and lunar eclipses don't occur every month because the moon's orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit around the sun.

Why don't we have solar and lunar eclipses every month?

—Solar and lunar eclipses don't occur every month because the moon's orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit around the sun. Most of the time, the moon passes above or below the sun as seen from the Earth.

What causes the moon to grow and shrink in size as seen from the Earth?

—The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. When the moon is closest to the Earth, we call it perigee, and when it is farthest away, we call it apogee. This slight difference in distance causes the moon to appear larger or smaller as seen from the Earth.

What is a solar eclipse?

—A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sunlight and causes a shadow to appear on a portion of the Earth. There are different types of solar eclipses, including partial, annular, and total eclipses, depending on the alignment and proximity of the moon and the sun.

What is a lunar eclipse?

—A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon. During a lunar eclipse, the moon may appear red due to the sunlight bending around the Earth's atmosphere. Lunar eclipses can be seen from anywhere on Earth where it is night.

How often do eclipse seasons occur?

—Eclipse seasons occur about twice a year. During an eclipse season, the moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic plane, which is the 2D plane referred to as the path of the Earth's orbit around the sun. When the lunar nodes align with the sun, Earth, and moon, solar and lunar eclipses can occur.

00:08To understand solar and lunar eclipses, it's helpful to know about the phases of the moon and its orbit around the Earth.

00:20The sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon, but it is also about 400 times further from the Earth, making them appear similar in size in the sky.

00:46The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse. When it's closest to the Earth, we call it perigee, and when it's farther away, we call it apogee.

01:17A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sunlight and causes a shadow to appear on a portion of the Earth.

01:29A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon. During a lunar eclipse, the moon may appear red due to the sunlight bending around the Earth's atmosphere.

01:38Solar and lunar eclipses don't occur every month because the moon's orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit around the sun. Most of the time, the moon passes above or below the sun as seen from the Earth.

02:07Eclipse seasons occur about twice a year when the moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic plane and aligns with the sun, Earth, and moon.

02:21Different types of solar eclipses include partial, annular, and total eclipses, depending on the alignment and proximity of the moon and the sun.