What is it called when the moon casts a shadow over the Earth?

What is it called when the moon casts a shadow over the Earth?

• A. Summer Solstice
• B. Lunar Eclipse
• C. Solar Eclipse
• D. Winter Solstice

Answer: (C)

The event is a solar eclipse. It happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, blocking sunlight from reaching parts of the Earth and casting the Moon’s shadow onto the planet. That shadow has two parts—the dark umbra and the lighter penumbra—so you can get a total solar eclipse (Sun fully blocked in the Umbra), a partial solar eclipse (only part of the Sun blocked in the Penumbra), or an annular eclipse (the Sun appears as a bright ring because the Moon is farther away). By contrast, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. The solstice terms describe points in the year when daylight is longest or shortest due to Earth’s tilt, not shadows from the Moon.

The event is a solar eclipse. It happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, blocking sunlight from reaching parts of the Earth and casting the Moon’s shadow onto the planet. That shadow has two parts—the dark umbra and the lighter penumbra—so you can get a total solar eclipse (Sun fully blocked in the Umbra), a partial solar eclipse (only part of the Sun blocked in the Penumbra), or an annular eclipse (the Sun appears as a bright ring because the Moon is farther away). By contrast, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. The solstice terms describe points in the year when daylight is longest or shortest due to Earth’s tilt, not shadows from the Moon.