Eclipse days
Only on full or new Moon days.
Eclipses
A lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse are rare events.
On which Moon days can they happen?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Lunar eclipses can happen only on a full Moon day and solar eclipses only on a new Moon day, but they are not monthly because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted to Earth's orbit around the Sun.
Eclipses
A lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse are rare events.
On which Moon days can they happen?
- Lunar on full Moon, solar on new Moon
- Both on any day
- Both on a half Moon day
Which day
Open each tab.
Not every month
Lunar eclipses happen only on full Moon day and solar eclipses only on new Moon day. But there is a full Moon and a new Moon every month, and eclipses do not happen every month. That is because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted with respect to the Earth's orbit.
Lunar eclipse: only on full Moon day. Solar eclipse: only on new Moon day. Not every month, because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted.
Notes
Lunar eclipse: full Moon day. Solar eclipse: new Moon day. Not monthly, because of the tilt of the Moon's orbit.
Check yourself
A lunar eclipse can happen only on …
A solar eclipse can happen only on …
Eclipses do not occur every month because …
The tilt is with respect to …
- a new Moon day. That is for a solar eclipse.
- a full Moon day — correct. Yes!
- any day. It can happen only on a full Moon day.
- a full Moon day. That is for a lunar eclipse.
- any day. It can happen only on a new Moon day.
- a new Moon day — correct. Yes!
- the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted — correct. Yes!
- the Sun goes away. The tilt of the Moon's orbit is the reason.
- the Moon stops. The Moon's orbit is slightly tilted.
- the Moon's size. The tilt is with respect to the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
- the Earth's orbit around the Sun — correct. Yes!
- the clouds. It is with respect to the Earth's orbit around the Sun.