Solar and lunar eclipses

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Side view, not to scale: the Moon's orbit drawn tilted about 5° to the line from the Sun to Earth; at this new moon the Moon passes above the line.

2. 1.

   There is a new moon every month, but Bo learns that solar eclipses are much rarer than that. Why?

   • The Moon is too small to block the Sun
   • The Moon's tilted orbit usually misses the line
   • Each new moon makes one, but many people miss seeing it
   • Solar eclipses need a full moon instead
3. 2.

   Full moons come every month. Esme wonders why there is not a lunar eclipse at each one. Which answer fits?

   • Earth's shadow already makes each full moon's phase
   • Each full moon is an eclipse, but clouds hide most
   • It usually passes above or below the shadow
   • Lunar eclipses happen at new moon instead
4. 3.

   “Side view, not to scale:” Jun counts 12 or 13 new moons in a year, but only 2 to 5 solar eclipses somewhere on Earth. What explains the difference?

   • At new moon the Moon must also cross Earth's orbit plane
   • Solar eclipses need full moons, which are rarer
   • The Moon's shadow covers the whole Earth, so they blur
   • Each new moon makes one, but few get counted
5. 4.

   Luz reads that the April 2024 total solar eclipse crossed Texas, while New York City saw only part of the Sun covered. Why?

   • The Moon and Sun are the same size, so only Texas lined up
   • The whole day side should have seen totality
   • Only the Moon's inner shadow brings totality
   • New York was in Earth's shadow instead
6. 5.

   “Book drawing (not a view to copy):” Noah reads about an annular eclipse, when a bright ring of Sun stays around the dark Moon. Why doesn't the Moon cover the whole Sun?

   • It is a full moon, which looks smaller
   • The Moon is farther away then, so it looks smaller
   • The Moon is the same size as the Sun, so edges show
   • Earth sits in the middle and blocks part of it

7. Side view, not to scale

   a small circle (the Moon) close to an eye and a huge circle (the Sun) far away, with two lines from the eye touching the edges of both.

8. 6.

   The Moon is far smaller than the Sun, yet Pia reads that it can cover the whole Sun in a total eclipse. How?

   • Earth's shadow also helps cover the rest of the Sun's face
   • The Sun is about 400 times wider and 400 times farther
   • The Moon and Sun are really about the same size
   • The Sun shrinks a little at each new moon
9. 7.

   Ren's diagram shows the Moon's shadow on Earth: place X in the dark inner shadow, Y in the lighter outer shadow, Z outside both. Which place sees part of the Sun covered?

   • X, in the dark inner shadow
   • Z, since the eclipse covers the whole day side
   • Y, in the lighter outer shadow
   • Y, because Earth's shadow is there
10. 8.

    Side view. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon looks coppery red instead of black. Tala wants to know why. Which answer fits?

    • The red is a normal monthly phase
    • The Moon glows red by itself once it is in the dark
    • Earth's air bends some red sunlight into the shadow
    • The Moon's shadow on Earth turns red
11. 9.

    Two side views, not to scale: the Moon inside Earth's wide shadow; Earth with the Moon's small shadow touching it. Totality in a lunar eclipse can last over an hour, but a total solar eclipse lasts only minutes in one place. Zee asks why. Which answer fits?

    • Earth's shadow is much bigger than the Moon's
    • A lunar eclipse covers just a narrow path of Earth
    • Lunar eclipses happen at new moon, when nights are long
    • The Moon's shadow is bigger, so it passes slowly
12. 10.

    “Side view, not to scale:” In a total lunar eclipse, the whole Moon goes dark red, not just one edge. What does Ari learn from this about the two sizes?

    • It is the new moon phase, with no lit side
    • Earth's shadow is wide enough to hold the whole Moon
    • The Moon's shadow covers the Moon
    • The Moon is as wide as Earth, so the shadow just fits it