Solar eclipses | The Earth-sun-moon system | Middle school Earth and space science | Khan Academy

TL;DR

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun's light from reaching a part of earth, causing a temporary shadow. Total solar eclipses happen when the moon completely covers the sun's disk.

Transcript

• [Narrator] Have you ever been minding your own business enjoying the sun when someone steps in front of you and blocks your sunlight? This is pretty much what happens during a solar eclipse except on a planetary scale. As earth revolves around the sun, the moon revolves around earth too. Once in a while, the sun, the moon and earth all line up so... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙂 Solar eclipses occur when the moon blocks the sun's light from reaching a part of earth.
• 🫥 Total solar eclipses allow the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere (corona) to become visible.
• 👀 Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause severe eye damage.
• 🥮 Total solar eclipses last only a few minutes due to the moon's continuous orbit around earth.
• 😎 The sun and the moon appear to be the same size from earth, allowing the moon to cover the sun almost perfectly during an eclipse.
• 🌑 Total solar eclipses only occur during a new moon when the moon is located between the sun and earth.
• 😃 The moon's orbit is gradually getting bigger, resulting in a future where total solar eclipses will no longer be visible from earth.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happens during a solar eclipse?

During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the sun and earth, causing the moon's shadow to fall onto earth and block the sun's light from reaching a certain area.

Q: Can we directly look at the sun during a solar eclipse?

No, looking directly at the sun, even during a solar eclipse, can cause severe and permanent eye damage. It is important to use proper protective eyewear or indirect viewing methods to observe a solar eclipse safely.

Q: Why does the temperature drop during a total solar eclipse?

The temperature drops during a total solar eclipse because the moon blocks solar energy from reaching the earth's surface, resulting in a temporary cooling effect in the area covered by the moon's shadow.

Q: Why don't solar eclipses happen every new moon?

Solar eclipses don't happen every new moon because the plane of the moon's orbit around earth is at a different angle than the plane of earth's orbit around the sun. This misalignment usually causes the moon's shadow to miss earth, preventing an eclipse from occurring.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth, blocking the sun's light from reaching a part of earth.

• During a total solar eclipse, the moon appears to completely cover the sun's disk, allowing the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, called the corona, to become visible.

• Total solar eclipses last only a few minutes as the moon continues to revolve around earth, eventually allowing the sun to reappear.