What happens during a lunar eclipse?
1 Answer
The Moon passes through the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse.
Explanation:
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up. It can only happen on a night of the full moon. During a full moon the Moon is illuminated by direct sunlight. If the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned then the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. When this occurs the Moon appears red as it is illuminated my light scattered through the Earth's atmosphere. For this reason it is sometimes called a blood moon.
Some lunar eclipses are partial in that the Earth's shadow only passes across part of the Moon's surface. A lunar eclipse lasts several hours and is visible from anywhere in the hemisphere which is in night during the eclipse.
There are typically two lunar eclipses every year.
