Study Guide for Eclipse Quiz

Vocabulary:

• Eclipse- the view of the sun or moon will be blocked for a period of time

• Lunar eclipse- the moon’s view of the sun is blocked by the earth

• Solar eclipse- the moon blocks the earth’s view of the sun

• Satellite- any object that orbits around another object

  • The moon is Earth’s natural satellite

  • The Earth is a satellite of the Sun

• Solar Eclipse- when the moon blocks the sun’s light from reaching part of Earth’s surface

• Partial solar eclipse- the moon blocks part of the sun from view

• Partial lunar eclipse- when the moon passes through only part of the earth’s umbra

• Total solar eclipse- the moon blocks all of the sun from view

• Total lunar eclipse- when the moon moves into the inner part of earth’s shadow, called the umbra

• Corona- the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, can be seen during a total solar eclipse

• Umbra- the dark, inner part of the moon’s shadow. From inside the umbra, the sun is completely blocked from view

• Penumbra- the lighter, outer shadow, the sun is partially blocked from view

• Path of totality- strip of land on earth where the moon’s umbra falls

• Annular solar eclipse- similar to a total solar eclipse except that the moon is at its farthest point from Earth. The moon appears too small to completely block the sun from view, so some of the sun appears like a bright ring around the moon

General Notes:

• The tilt of the moon’s orbit around earth limits the number of eclipses we see each year

  • The moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular so, the distance between earth and the moon changes. This causes different types of eclipses

  • When the full moon is at its closest point in its orbit around earth, it appears larger and brighter than usual and called a supermoon

• Solar Eclipses occur during two periods of the year known as eclipse seasons

  • Between 2-5 solar eclipses occur each year and total solar eclipses occur roughly every 18 months.

• Lunar eclipses occur when a full moon’s orbit crosses the plane of earth’s orbit around the sun. This happens during two periods of the year, known as eclipse seasons

  • They happen about 6 months apart

  • Up to three lunar eclipses occur each year

  • On average total lunar eclipse can be seen from a given location on earth every 2.5 years

• Lunar Eclipse

  • Occurs during the nighttime

  • Safely viewed without eye protection

  • Occurs when the moon passes through earth’s shadow

  • Moon can be a red/orange color

  • Occurs during a full moon 

  • Seen by more of the earth 

• Solar Eclipse

  • Occurs during the daytime

  • Occurs when the moon is between Earth and the Sun

  • View of the sun is blocked from earth

  • Sun looks black

  • Happens only during a new moon

  • Can be seen by few parts of the earth

• Both Solar and Lunar Eclipses

  • Depends on position of the moon

  • Can be partial or total

  • The sun, earth and moon form a 180 degree angle (straight line) during an eclipse