Moon phases

• Astronomy


  The science of the universe outside of our planet. The branch of physical science dealing with heavenly bodies.
• Astronomy has resulted in many practical inventions, ideas, including calendars, navigational techniques, laws of motion, engineering of products and an increased understanding of energy and weather.
• Moon


  A natural object that orbits a larger object
• Eclipse


  When one celestial body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another celestial body
• Solar eclipse


  A type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the light from the Sun
• Types of Solar Eclipses

  • Partial
  • Annular
  • Total
• Partial solar eclipse


  • The Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, but the Moon only partially covers the Sun's disk
  • The Moon, the Sun and Earth don't align in a perfectly straight line, and the Moon casts only the outer part of its shadow, the penumbra, on Earth
  • The size of the eclipsed area is referred to as eclipse magnitude
• Annular solar eclipse


  • The Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving the Sun's visible outer edges to form a "ring of fire" or annulus around the Moon
• Total solar eclipse


  • The Moon completely covers the face of the Sun
  • You have to be somewhere within a narrow path of totality to see it
• Umbra


  The dark center portion of a shadow
• Penumbra


  The lighter outer part of a shadow
• Antumbra


  The lighter part of a shadow that forms at a certain distance from the object casting the shadow
• Lunar eclipse


  Occurs at the full moon phase when Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, and Earth's shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red
• Types of Lunar Eclipse

  • Penumbral
  • Partial
  • Total
• Penumbral lunar eclipse


  • The Moon moves through the faint, outer part of Earth's shadow, the penumbra
  • This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as other types of lunar eclipses and is often mistaken for a regular Full Moon
• Partial lunar eclipse


  • The Earth moves between the Sun and the Full Moon, but they are not precisely aligned, so only part of the Moon's visible surface moves into the dark part of the Earth's shadow
• Total lunar eclipse


  • The Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and its shadow covers the Moon
  • Eclipse watchers can see the Moon turn red when the eclipse reaches totality
• Lunar Phase


  One of the cyclically recurring apparent forms of the moon