Solar and Lunar Eclipses
(My World and I)
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. An eclipse happens when the light of the sun or the moon is hidden.
2. When light falls on an opaque object, the shadow falls on the opposite side.
3. In a solar eclipse, the moon is between the sun and the earth.
4. During a total solar eclipse, it becomes very dark and birds stop singing.
5. In a Lunar eclipse, the earth is between the sun and the moon.
B. Write true or false:
1. 'Sol' means the moon and 'Luna' means the sun. [F]
2. During a total solar or lunar eclipse, the three heavenly bodies- the sun, the moon and the earth - are in a straight line. [T]
3. It is not safe to look at a solar eclipse even with dark glasses. [T]
4. Solar and lunar eclipses both last for the same amount of time. [F]
5. We know how and why eclipses happen, so we should not be frightened of them. [T]
C. Choose the correct answer:
1. In ancient times most people had scientific/unscientific explanations for why an eclipse happened.
2. A solar eclipse is when the sun/moon is completely or partially hidden.
3. A lunar eclipse is when the sun/moon is completely or partially hidden.
4. It is unsafe/safe to look at lunar eclipse.
5. The moon looks reddish in a Partial/total eclipse.
D. Match the following:
=
|
A |
B |
|---|---|
|
1.sol |
a. shadow during a partial eclipse. [4] |
|
2.luna |
b. the moon. [2] |
|
3.umbra |
c. the darkest part of a shadow. [3] |
|
4. penumbra |
d. the sun. [1] |
E. Answer the following.
1. How do we know the real reason why eclipses happen?
=What actually happens during an eclipses has been explained by astronomers and scientists. They observed and studied eclipses and understood how these happen.
2. Give the three reasons why eclipses happen.
=Eclipses happen for the following reasons :
i).The orbit of the moon around the earth.
ii). The orbit of the earth around the sun.
iii). The shadow that is formed when sunlight falls on an opaque object (opaque = something through which light cannot pass).
3.What kind of solar eclipse will people see if they are standing in (a) the umbra and (b) the penumbra?
=(a) people standing in the umbra see a total solar eclipse.
(b) people standing in the penumbra see a partial solar eclipse.
4.Why should we not look at the sun directly during a solar eclipses?
=We should never look at an eclipse of the sun directly, even with dark glasses., as it can damage the eyes permanently. There is special equipment that should be used for seeing a solar eclipse.
5.In two sentences describe what happens during a partial lunar eclipse.
=In a partial lunar eclipse, only a part of the moon moves into the earth’s shadow. The earth’s shadow appears very dark.
6.Some times we are not able to see eclipses that occur. Why is this?
=Eclipses are beautiful natural phenomena. Unfortunately, sometimes, because of cloudy weather or because of pollution, we are not able to see an eclipse.