Nota Express

Eclipse

1 The Earth moves continuously round the Sun.

2 At the same time, the Moon also moves round the Earth.

3 At certain times, the Sun, Earth and the Moon are aligned in a straight line. When this
        happens, eclipses occur.

4      (a) If a hand is placed under a light source, a shadow is formed.

        (b) This is because the hand is opaque. Light travels in a straight line. It cannot pass
        through an opaque object.

5 The Moon and the Earth are opaque.They form shadows when sunlight falls
        on them.
(a) When the shadow of the Moon falls on the Earth’s surface, an eclipse of the Sun occurs.
(b) When the shadow of the Earth falls on the Moon’s surface, an eclipse of the Moon occurs.

6 There are two types of eclipses:
(a) An eclipse of the Moon or lunar eclipse
(b) An eclipse of the Sun or solar eclipse