Let’s look at how these happen in more detail.The shadows of Earth and the Moon consist of two parts: a cone where the shadow is darkest, called the umbra, and a lighter, more diffuse region of darkness called the penumbra. When the Moon passes into the shadow of Earth, people on the night side of Earth see the Moon darken in what is called a lunar eclipse. When the Moon’s shadow strikes Earth, people within that shadow see the Sun at least partially covered by the Moon that is, they witness a solar eclipse. In general, an eclipse occurs whenever any part of either Earth or the Moon enters the shadow of the other. This shadow in space becomes apparent whenever another object moves into it. At position 4, the Moon is farther away and thus cannot cover the Sun completely a ring of light thus shows around the Sun, creating what is called an "annular" eclipse.Īny solid object in the solar system casts a shadow by blocking the light of the Sun from a region behind it. At positions 2 and 3, the eclipse is partial. In (b) you see what the Sun and Moon would look like in the sky at the four labeled points. Four points in the shadow are labeled with numbers. Notice the dark umbra and the lighter penumbra. (a) The shadow cast by a spherical body (the Moon, for example) is shown.
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January 2023
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