How does the earth cast a shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse?

Answer 1

The only way to be confused about this is to work hard to make something complicated

out of something simple.

The sun shines on everything in its neighborhood. It's the only star close enough to us

to light things up. Think of the sun as a flashlight in a dark room.

If the sun shines on anything, it's lit up ... like the side of the earth that faces the sun.

If the sun doesn't shine on something, it's dark ... like the side of the earth that's

turned away from the sun.

The sun also shines on the moon, like a flashlight. The side of the moon facing the sun is lit up.

The earth is a big ball almost 8,000 miles across, and it has a shadow behind it ... where

you can't see the sun and the sun can't see you because the earth is in the way.

The moon is swinging around the earth, once every 27.3 days. When the moon swings

behind the earth and is lined up just right, it can get into a position where it can't see

the sun and the sun can't see it because the earth is in the way. When that happens,

the moon turns dark for a few hours, as if somebody put their hand in front of the

flashlight, until it swings a little further, comes out of the earth's shadow, and the

sun can see it again.

What's so difficult about that ?

Answer 2

During a solar eclipse the Sun is either totally or partially blocked by the Moon or, if the Moon is further away, the Sun forms a "Ring of Fire".