What is Earth's shadow?

Earth's shadow is like when you stand between a lamp and a wall, your body blocks the light, making a dark shape on the wall.

Imagine it’s nighttime, and the Sun is far away, shining down on Earth. Sometimes, like when the Moon is in the right place, Earth gets in the way of the Sun's light heading toward the Moon. That makes a dark area, or shadow, on the Moon, just like how your body blocks the lamp’s light.

• When Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, it creates a shadow that covers part or all of the Moon.
• This is why we see a moon eclipse, the Moon looks darker because Earth's shadow is on it.
• Think about playing with shadows in the sunlight. If you move your hand between the Sun and a wall, you can make different shapes on the wall, just like Earth does to the Moon.

It’s not magic; it's science that happens right before our eyes! Earth's shadow is like when you stand between a lamp and a wall, your body blocks the light, making a dark shape on the wall.

Imagine it’s nighttime, and the Sun is far away, shining down on Earth. Sometimes, like when the Moon is in the right place, Earth gets in the way of the Sun's light heading toward the Moon. That makes a dark area, or shadow, on the Moon, just like how your body blocks the lamp’s light.