what causes the solar eclipse
What causes the solar eclipse?
Answer:
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or part of the Sun’s light. This happens only during a new moon. There are two types of solar eclipses: partial and total. In a total solar eclipse, the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon. In a partial solar eclipse, only a part of the Sun is obscured.
The alignment for a solar eclipse to occur is very precise. The Moon’s shadow consists of two parts: the umbra and the penumbra. The umbra is the central, darkest part of the shadow where the Sun is completely obscured. The penumbra is the outer part of the shadow where the Sun is only partially obscured.
The reason solar eclipses don’t occur every new moon is that the Moon’s orbit is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This tilt causes the Moon’s shadow to usually fall above or below the Earth. When the three celestial bodies—the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth—align perfectly, a solar eclipse occurs.