Eclipse Soundscapes Apprentice Training
Lesson 2 - Why Do Solar Eclipses Happen?
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A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves in between the Sun and the Earth, blocking some or all of the Sun’s light. The Moon is able to block all or most of the Sun’s light during a solar eclipse because the Moon appears to be the same size as the Sun. But, the Moon is NOT the same size as the Sun!
The Sun and Moon appear to be the same size because of cosmic chance. The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon AND the Sun is also 400 times farther from the Earth than the Moon is from Earth. This means that from Earth, the Sun and Moon look like they are the same size. (Reference: NASA Solar System Exploration)
Solar Eclipses do not happen every month because the Sun, Moon, and Earth do not always line up perfectly. The Moon orbits around the Earth and the Earth orbits around the Sun. But, their orbits only sometimes line up perfectly. So when the Moon passes in between the Sun and the Earth, sometimes it is too low or too high to block the Sun. When the Sun, Moon, and Earth do line up perfectly, with the Moon directly in between the Sun and the Earth, a solar eclipse happens. Luckily for us, their orbits are very predictable. So scientists can figure out when solar eclipses will happen!
During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks some or all of the Sun’s light. This creates two different shadows. The inner shadow is smaller and darker. It is called the umbra. The outershadow is larger and lighter. It is called the penumbra. In the next lesson there is more information about these shadows!
Vocabulary
chance – happening by accident
cosmic – the universe outside of Earth
orbit – to go around around a star, planet, or moon
penumbra – the lighter shadow created during a solar eclipse by the Moon blocking the Sun’s light from reaching the Earth
shadow – darkness caused by the blocking of a light source
solar eclipse – when the moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun and the Sun’s light is partially or totally blocked by the Moon.
umbra – the darkest shadow created by the Moon completely blocking the sun’s light from reaching the Earth during a solar eclipse
Discussion / Notes
Write, draw, or verbally discuss.
- Why do the Moon and the Sun look the same size?
- Solar eclipses happen during the day. So why does it get darker during an eclipse?