Total Lunar Eclipse

Answer all of the questions below, you can download the question sheet here.

Website: Lunar Eclipses for Beginners

http://mreclipse.com/mreclipse/Special/LEprimer.html

1. What is the diameter of the Moon?

2. How does the Moon shine?

3. How long is the Moon’s orbit around the Earth?

4. Name the phases of the Moon.

5. Which phase of the Moon cannot be seen and why?

 6. What is unique about the full moon? Why does this happen?

 7. During which phase of the moon does a lunar eclipse occur?

 8. Draw the diagram titled Lunar Eclipse Geometry. Label the Sun, Earth, Moon and the two parts of the shadow, penumbra and umbra.

9. Distinguish between the penumbra and the umbra.

10. Name the three basic types of lunar eclipses and describe each.

11. If there is a full moon each month then why don’t we have an eclipse once a month? 

12. If the Earth didn’t have an atmosphere what would the Moon look like during a total eclipse?

13. Are lunar eclipses safe to watch? How can using a pair of binoculars enhance your viewing of the eclipse?

14. If you miss the total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, October 27, when will the next one be?

Website: Total Lunar Eclipse: Science@NASA

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/13oct_lunareclipse.htm

1. Why is the October’s full moon called “Hunter’s Moon or “Blood Moon”

2. When will the Blood Moon rise this year?

3. What time will the lunar eclipse begin and how long will it last?

4. Where on earth will the lunar eclipse be observable?

5. a) When you are standing outside at night you are standing in the earth’s __________, which stretches almost a _____________ miles into space.

b) Is this far enough to reach the moon?

c) What would you see if you blasted off from Earth and flew down the middle of Earth’s shadow and then looked back? Why isn’t the Earth completely black? What is it that you are seeing?

d) What does the exact colour of the moon during the eclipse depend on? What colour would it be had Mount St. Helen’s erupted? Check out Mount St. Helen’s web cam! http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

6. Draw the diagram on the bottom of the website and explain in your own words why the moon isn’t totally dark when the Earth gets between it and the Sun.