What occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth and casts a shadow over part of Earth?

• A. Solar eclipse
• B. Lunar eclipse
• C. Seasons
• D. Phases of the Moon

Answer: (A)

When the Moon sits directly between the Sun and Earth, it blocks some or all of the Sun’s light from reaching part of Earth. That is a solar eclipse. The Moon’s shadow on Earth has two parts: the dark inner umbra, where the Sun is completely covered for observers in that narrow path, producing a total solar eclipse, and the lighter penumbra, where the Sun is only partly blocked, producing a partial eclipse. If the Moon is farther away, it may not completely cover the Sun, leaving a bright ring around it called an annular eclipse. These events only occur during specific alignments near new Moon when the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun–Earth line. A lunar eclipse, by contrast, happens when Earth lies between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth’s shadow onto the Moon. Phases of the Moon describe the changing appearance of the Moon, which aligns with solar eclipses only during new Moon.