A solar or lunar eclipse does not occur each month because?

Answer 1

The reason for why we don't have solar and lunar eclipses every month is because the Earth and moon's orbit, or revolution, is always tilted 5 degrees in some direction, meaning up or down, and so, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not aligned. When aligned, it causes a solar or lunar eclipse.

Answer 2

Solar and lunar eclipses doe not happen each month because of the Moon, Sun, and Earth do not align each month. The orbit of the Moon around the Earth is not in the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Answer 3

Since the orbital plane of moon is tilted 5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic, therefore the chance of perfect alignment of the moon, sun and the earth is not possible every month. So, an eclipse does not occur at every new moon each month.

Answer 4

The reason for why we don't have solar and lunar eclipses every month is because the Earth and moon's orbit, or revolution, is always tilted 5 degrees in some direction, meaning up or down, and so, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not aligned.

Answer 5

The plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth is not exactly aligned with the plane in which Earth orbits the Sun. AS a result, most of the time, the Moon will pass north or south of the Earth's shadow.

Answer 6

Because the Moon does not orbit the Earth precisely in the same plane in which the Earth orbits the Sun. If it did, then every full moon would be a lunar eclipse, and every new moon would be a solar eclipse.

Since that's not the case, the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth only "line up" properly for an eclipse about twice a year for each type.

Answer 7

A full moon is where the whole of the side of the moon we see from earth is reflecting the sun, whereas an eclipse is the lining up of the planets and the moon from our(the earth's) perspective

Answer 8

It has to do with positioning or attitude. It helps to understand that the earth moon and sun do not spin around one another on equatorial planes. This is why during the northern hemesphere's winter months the days are shorter and in the southern hemisphere it is summer and the days are longer. In order for a complete solar eclipse to occur the moon must pass directly between the earth and the sun. Which means you must be able to draw an imaginary straight line from the center of the sun through the center of the moon and then the line must connect with the earth at any given spot. Where it does, that is where you will be able to see a total eclipse. Now if you can picture the 3 bodies spinning around one another which most people can, add that the sun and moon are also bobbig up and down. That makes a total eclipse a rarity. The fact we have total eclipses at all is rarer still because it just so happens that the moon is precisely distanced between the earth and sun so as to make a total eclipse possible. In a few million or billion years it will no longer be possible because the moon is continually moving farther away from us and eventually it will be far enough away so that it will no longer fully eclipse the sun. The edges of the sun will shine around the moon. It is why billions of years ago the moon was much bigger in the night sky than it is today and when a total eclipse back then occured it would have also blotted out the sun's corona which is what we look at when an eclipse happens today.

Answer 9

The orbit of the Moon would have to be precisely on the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun, and it is not. For the vast majority of "new moons" when the Moon and Sun are both in the daytime sky, the Moon's shadow does not fall on the Earth. When it does, it will still only affect a part of the globe, and only for a few minutes, since the shadow moves across the Earth at between 1706 and 3380 km/hr (1060 to 2100 mph), depending on latitude.

Answer 10

This is because the orbit of the moon around the earth is not perfectly flat, its tilted by about 5.5 degrees. Its rarely aligned well enough for us to experience an eclipse, the earth will most likely move above or below the sun on each pass.