Ecology Club Newsletter

An eclipse is an astrological event that is caused by the total/partial covering of one heavenly body by another. There are two major types of eclipses: a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is when Earth’s shadow covers the moon. A solar eclipse is when the moon blocks us from seeing the sun. Solar eclipses can be classified as either total, partial, hybrid or annular. Total and partial are self-explanatory.  A hybrid eclipse is when an eclipse shifts between annular and total as the moon moves across the globe. Annular eclipses happen when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, but only when it is at or near its farthest point from earth. This means that the moon appears smaller than the sun, and doesn’t completely cover it because the moon is farther away from the earth.  There are three types of lunar eclipses: total, partial, and penumbral. Again, the words total and partial are self-explanatory. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when a partial or full moon passes into the Earth’s penumbra, which is the scattered outer shadow of the earth.