What are eclipses?

An eclipse happens when one object blocks the light from another object, just like when you stand between your friend and a bright lamp.

Imagine you're playing with shadows in the park. You have a big ball (like the Sun), a smaller ball (like the Moon), and you’re the Earth. When the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, it blocks the sunlight, making a shadow on the Earth, that's a solar eclipse!

Sometimes, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon. Then, the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the Moon, and the Moon gets dark, that’s a lunar eclipse.

It’s like when you cover your flashlight with your hand, and it makes the wall behind you go dark. The Moon is like the wall, and the Earth is like your hand blocking the light.