Total and partial lunar eclipse
A dark red Moon.
Into the shadow
The Moon can go fully or only partly into the Earth’s shadow.
What colour do you think the Moon turns when it is completely in the shadow?
What this lesson covers
The idea
When the Moon is completely in the Earth's shadow it is a total lunar eclipse and the Moon looks dark red; when only part of the Moon is in the shadow it is a partial lunar eclipse.
Into the shadow
The Moon can go fully or only partly into the Earth’s shadow.
What colour do you think the Moon turns when it is completely in the shadow?
- Dark red
- Bright green
- Pure white
Slide the Moon
Move the Moon through the Earth’s shadow. Look for a partial and a total eclipse.
All in, or part in
All of the Moon in the shadow: total lunar eclipse, and the Moon looks dark red. Only part of the Moon in the shadow: partial lunar eclipse.
When the Moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow it is a total lunar eclipse and the Moon looks dark red; when only part of the Moon is in the shadow it is a partial lunar eclipse.
Notes
When the Moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow it is a total lunar eclipse and the Moon looks dark red; when only part of the Moon is in the shadow it is a partial lunar eclipse.
Check yourself
When the Moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow, it is a …
In a total lunar eclipse the Moon looks …
When only part of the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow, it is a …
In a partial lunar eclipse …
- total lunar eclipse — correct. Yes! All of the Moon is in the shadow.
- solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the Moon blocks the Sun.
- partial lunar eclipse. Partial means only a part of the Moon is in the shadow.
- blue. The Moon does not look blue in the shadow.
- dark red — correct. Yes! The bright disc turns dark red.
- bright white. The Moon looks dark red, not bright white.
- solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the Moon blocks the Sun.
- total lunar eclipse. Total means all of the Moon is in the shadow.
- partial lunar eclipse — correct. Yes! The rest of the Moon is still visible.
- part of the Moon is in the shadow and the rest is visible — correct. Yes! Part is dark and part is bright.
- the Sun goes dark. In a lunar eclipse it is the Moon that is in shadow, not the Sun.
- the whole Moon vanishes. Only a part of the Moon is in the shadow.