📚 Learning Guide
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
hard

Which of the following statements accurately describe the conditions necessary for solar and lunar eclipses to occur? Select all that apply.

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Choose the Best Answer

A

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon.

B

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon is in the Earth's shadow.

C

Eclipses can only happen during a full moon.

D

The tilt of the Moon's orbit affects the frequency of eclipses.

E

Solar eclipses can only be viewed from certain locations on Earth.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

An eclipse happens only when the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up, which can only happen at the Moon’s two orbital nodes where its orbit crosses the Earth‑Sun plane. For a solar eclipse the Moon must be a new moon and lie between the Sun and Earth, blocking the Sun’s light. For a lunar eclipse the Moon must be full and the Earth must stand between the Sun and Moon, casting Earth’s shadow on the Moon. Thus eclipses occur only at new or full moon when the Moon is near a node, ensuring the three bodies are nearly collinear.

Detailed Explanation

A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, so it looks darkened. Other options are incorrect because The idea that Earth blocks the Sun and Moon is a mix‑up; Thinking eclipses only happen during a full Moon ignores that solar eclipses occur at new Moons.

Key Concepts

Eclipses
Celestial Mechanics
Orbital Geometry
Topic

Solar and Lunar Eclipses

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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