Solar and Lunar Eclipse Test

Name

Class

• Cambridge
• Oxford
• Harvard
• MIT
• Stanford

What causes a solar eclipse?

• a)The Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun.
• b) The Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon.
• c) The Moon moves behind the Earth.

What causes a lunar eclipse?

• a) The Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun.
• b) The Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon.
• c) The Moon is on the opposite side of the Sun.

Why do lunar and solar eclipses not happen every month?

• a) The Moon's orbit is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit.
• b) The Sun’s light is too strong to allow an eclipse.
• c) The Moon does not move in a straight line.

4. What is the main difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse?

• a) A solar eclipse happens at night, and a lunar eclipse happens during the day.
• b) A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun, while a lunar eclipse happens when Earth’s shadow covers the Moon.
• c) A solar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.

5. Which type of eclipse occurs during the full moon phase?

• a) Solar eclipse
• b) Lunar eclipse
• c) Neither

6. During a total solar eclipse, which part of the Sun is visible?

• a) The Sun’s core
• b) The Sun’s outter layer
• c) The Sun’s surface

What is the name of the shadow’s darkest part during an eclipse?

• a) Umbra
• b) Penumbra
• c) Antumbra

Who can see a total lunar eclipse?

• a) Only people in specific parts of the Earth.
• b) Everyone on the nighttime side of the Earth.
• c) Only people in the umbra shadow.