How many of you know how an eclipse of the Moon happens? The first thing you have to understand is where the Moon gets the light to shine toward the earth. The light comes completely from the Sun. The Sun shines its light toward the Moon and the Moon reflects the Suns light back to the Earth. An eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth shadows the Sun from shining on the part of the Moon. You are actually seeing a portion of the earths shadow on the Moon.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Eclipse of the Moon
We had a total Lunar Eclipse in NE Ohio tonight. This picture was about 15 minutes before there was a total eclipse which shaded the Moon from shining. It was a great night for pictures with no clouds.
How many of you know how an eclipse of the Moon happens? The first thing you have to understand is where the Moon gets the light to shine toward the earth. The light comes completely from the Sun. The Sun shines its light toward the Moon and the Moon reflects the Suns light back to the Earth. An eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth shadows the Sun from shining on the part of the Moon. You are actually seeing a portion of the earths shadow on the Moon.
How many of you know how an eclipse of the Moon happens? The first thing you have to understand is where the Moon gets the light to shine toward the earth. The light comes completely from the Sun. The Sun shines its light toward the Moon and the Moon reflects the Suns light back to the Earth. An eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth shadows the Sun from shining on the part of the Moon. You are actually seeing a portion of the earths shadow on the Moon.
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4 comments:
Cool!!! It's really fascinating to realize that what you're seeing is not from anything actually coming between the earth and the moon, but the Earth, itself blocking the light. And it's really interesting, too, how that affects the color of the light that does hit the moon, making it sort of reddish-ochre.
It's a neat effect. I think the eclipse actually made the moon look more 3-dimensional because it shaded the moon on one side.
I missed it. :-( I went to bed at 9:00 and didn't even know there was going to be an eclipse.
That's a nice picture of it.
It was a great eclipse and the cloudless skies were great. Rebecca has some great pictures on her sight.
I like your pic and explanation of the eclipse now I can explain it to my kids in plain English! :O)
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