Solar eclipse, the Moon coming between Earth and the Sun so that the Moon’s shadow sweeps over Earth’s surface. This shadow consists of two parts: the umbra, a cone into which no direct sunlight penetrates; and the penumbra, which is reached by light f
You'll better understand other astronomical events, such as solar eclipses, which happen only during a new moon phase, and lunar eclipses, which happen only during a full moon phase. The first thing to understand, though, is that one side of the moon is always fully lit by the sun. ...
Why then is there not a lunar eclipse during every full moon? The orbital plane, or the path the moon takes around the Earth, does not circle the Earth at zero degrees. Rather, it is skewed slightly, which causes the moon to pass either above or below the Earth's shadow most of the...