What type of eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth?

What type of eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth?

• A. Solar eclipse
• B. Lunar eclipse
• C. Partial eclipse
• D. Total eclipse

Answer: (A)

When the Moon moves directly between the Sun and the Earth, it blocks some or all of the Sun’s light from reaching Earth. That situation is a solar eclipse. It occurs during the new Moon phase when the Sun–Moon–Earth line lines up with the Moon casting a shadow on Earth. There are variations of solar eclipses—total, partial, and annular—depending on how much of the Sun is obscured and the Moon’s distance. A lunar eclipse, by contrast, happens when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth's shadow on the Moon during a full Moon.

When the Moon moves directly between the Sun and the Earth, it blocks some or all of the Sun’s light from reaching Earth. That situation is a solar eclipse. It occurs during the new Moon phase when the Sun–Moon–Earth line lines up with the Moon casting a shadow on Earth. There are variations of solar eclipses—total, partial, and annular—depending on how much of the Sun is obscured and the Moon’s distance. A lunar eclipse, by contrast, happens when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth's shadow on the Moon during a full Moon.