An eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up in a straight line so that the Sun’s light is blocked out by either the Earth or the Moon’s shadow.
Lunar Eclipse
Sometimes, the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth. When this happens, the Earth stops the Sun’s rays from lighting the Moon. When only a part of the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow, we have a partial lunar eclipse.
Solar Eclipse
When the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, it stops the Sun’s rays from lighting a part of the Earth. A solar eclipse does not happen as often as a lunar eclipse. A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks only a part of the Sun’s rays out.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
