Page 1 - Microsoft Word - 11.3 Eclipse
P. 1
CHAPTER 11: THE MOON
TOPIC: ECLIPSE
ECLIPSE
The earth, along with the other planets, revolves around the sun in its orbit.
In turn, the moon revolves around the earth in the moon’s orbit.
There comes a time when the three heavenly bodies get aligned in the same straight
line.
This is when an eclipse occurs.
It is defined as an astronomical phenomenon which occurs when one spatial object
comes within the shadow of another spatial object.
This obstructs the observer from seeing one of them in space
On earth, we witness two types of eclipses: solar and lunar.
SOLAR ECLIPSE
Also known as the eclipse of the sun, it occurs when the moon comes in between the
sun and the earth.
As a result, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching the earth’s surface
and casts a shadow on it.
This occurs on a new moon phase.
We can observe up to 5 solar eclipses per year.
Depending on the distance of the moon from the earth during the event, different types of
solar concealment can be observed. They can be categorized as:

