What is an Eclipse?

Sometimes during their orbits, the moon and the Earth form a line with the Sun. When this happens, an eclipse occurs. There are two kinds of eclipse – lunar and solar.

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the moon, blocking part of the Sun’s light from reaching the moon. During a lunar eclipse, you will see the Earth’s shadow on the moon.

In a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the Earth and the Sun. When this happens, part of the Sun’s light is blocked. The sky slowly gets dark as the moon moves in front of the Sun. When the moon and Sun are in a perfect line, it is called a total eclipse. These are very rare. Most people only see one in their lifetime.