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Earth, Moon, and the Sun

The Moon shades a patch of Earth

The Moon can come between the Sun and us. What do we see?

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The idea

New Moon is when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. They are nearly in a row.
Step 1 of 4
  1. New Moon is when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. They are nearly in a row.
  2. The Moon's shadow stretches out behind it.
  3. The shadow lands on Earth as a small dark patch.
  4. Only people inside that patch see the whole Sun covered.

The rule

We see the Moon hide some or all of the Sun.

In a solar eclipse the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. Its shadow lands on a small part of Earth.

  • Inside the dark patch, the whole Sun is hidden. That is a total solar eclipse.
  • Beside the patch, only part of the Sun is hidden. That is a partial solar eclipse.

The Moon is much smaller than the Sun. It is also much closer. So both look about the same size in the sky.

The patch moves across Earth. A total eclipse lasts only a few minutes at one place.

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This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 Earth is doing two things at once
  3. 2 The Moon keeps one face turned to us
  4. 3 When three line up, one shades another
  5. 4 The Moon shades a patch of Earth
  6. 5 Earth shades the Moon
  7. 6 Why it is not every month
  8. 7 One is safe to watch, the other never is
  9. 8 Checkpoint: motions, the Moon and eclipses
  10. 9 Why the Sun seems to move
  11. 10 Day here, night there
  12. 11 The star that stays still
  13. 12 Checkpoint: the turning sky
  14. 13 The night sky changes through the year
  15. 14 The tilt makes the seasons
  16. 15 The longest and shortest days
  17. 16 Checkpoint: the year, the tilt and the seasons
  18. 17 The big picture
  19. 18 Track quiz

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