What is an eclipse? By NASA, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.17.17 Word Count 584 Level 570L This image of the moon crossing in front of the sun was captured on January 30, 2014, by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory observing the eclipse from its vantage point in space. NASA photo An eclipse is when light from a moon or sun gets blocked. People can see two kinds of eclipses from Earth. The first is the lunar eclipse, or eclipse of the moon. The second is the solar eclipse, or eclipse of the sun. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Lunar Eclipse The moon orbits, or goes around, Earth. When the moon is hit by sunlight, it shines the light back. People can see the moon because of this bright light. Sometimes, Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun. Instead, Earth's shadow falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can be seen only at night. Total And Partial Lunar Eclipse There are two kinds of lunar eclipses. One is the total lunar eclipse. The other is the partial lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon and the sun are lined up exactly. Earth is placed right between the two. Yet, some light still reaches the moon. This light passes through Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere is the air around Earth. Light passing through it becomes reddish. When it hits the moon, it makes the moon look red too. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
The second kind of eclipse is a partial lunar eclipse. This happens when only part of the moon is covered in shadow. Earth's shadow on the moon is very dark. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours. Two or more partial lunar eclipses happen every year. Total lunar eclipses are rare. Solar Eclipse Sometimes the moon is between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon stops sunlight from reaching Earth. This is a solar eclipse. Three Kinds of Solar Eclipses The first is the total solar eclipse. For this to happen, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line. In a total eclipse, the sky becomes very dark. It looks like the middle of the night. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
The second kind is the partial solar eclipse. This happens when the sun, moon and Earth are not exactly lined up. The sun is only partly covered. The third kind is the annular solar eclipse. The moon looks like a dark circle on top of a larger, bright circle. A ring of light shows up around the moon. Solar eclipses happen every 18 months. They only last a few minutes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
Why Does NASA Study Eclipses? NASA is the U.S. space agency. The scientists there study space. Its full name is National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Experts at NASA look at how the moon, sun, stars and planets move. They also study solar eclipses. An eclipse can affect us on Earth. Less sunlight means lower temperatures. This can affect animal behavior. It can also affect the weather. Viewing Safety There is one important thing to remember: never look directly at the sun! This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Looking at the sun can permanently hurt your eyes. This is true even during solar eclipses. The only way to be safe is to use special glasses. Another way to be safe is by using a pinhole projector. With this method, sunlight shines through a small hole. This can be a pencil hole in a piece of paper or even the space between your fingers. The light is aimed onto a screen. This can be a piece of paper or the ground. People can then see the eclipse by looking at the screen. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
Quiz 1 Read the paragraph from the section "Lunar Eclipse." Sometimes, Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun. Instead, Earth's shadow falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. Which sentence from this paragraph explains the position of Earth during a lunar eclipse? Sometimes, Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun. Instead, Earth's shadow falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. 2 Read the section "Viewing Safety." Which paragraph explains WHY people should never look at the sun during an eclipse? 3 Read the sentence from the section "Three Kinds of Solar Eclipses." For this to happen, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line. Which word could replace "direct" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence? long straight thin distant This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7
4 Read the paragraph from the section "Total And Partial Lunar Eclipse." A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours. Two or more partial lunar eclipses happen every year. Total lunar eclipses are rare. Fill in the blank. "Rare" means. not complete not important not interesting not common This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 8
Answer Key 1 Read the paragraph from the section "Lunar Eclipse." Sometimes, Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun. Instead, Earth's shadow falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. Which sentence from this paragraph explains the position of Earth during a lunar eclipse? Sometimes, Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun. Instead, Earth's shadow falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. 2 Read the section "Viewing Safety." Which paragraph explains WHY people should never look at the sun during an eclipse? Paragraph 21: Looking at the sun can permanently hurt your eyes. This is true even during solar eclipses. The only way to be safe is to use special glasses. 3 Read the sentence from the section "Three Kinds of Solar Eclipses." For this to happen, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line. Which word could replace "direct" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence? long straight thin distant This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 9
4 Read the paragraph from the section "Total And Partial Lunar Eclipse." A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours. Two or more partial lunar eclipses happen every year. Total lunar eclipses are rare. Fill in the blank. "Rare" means. not complete not important not interesting not common This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 10