Summary

Eclipses are awe-inspiring celestial events that drastically change the appearance of one of the two biggest objects we see in our sky: our Sun and Moon. On Earth, people can experience eclipses when Earth, the Moon, and the Sun align. Your challenge is to create a game, activity, or story for young learners that explains the mechanics of eclipses, including eclipse seasons, how and why eclipses occur, and why only some people on Earth can see an eclipse at a given time.

Background

Eclipses aren’t just beautiful – they’re great for science! NASA scientists study eclipses to make new discoveries about the Sun, Earth, and our space environment. For over a century, solar eclipses have helped scientists decipher the Sun’s structure and explosive events, find evidence for the theory of general relativity, discover a new element, and much more.

There are four types of solar eclipses (total, partial, hybrid, and annular) and three types of lunar eclipses (total, partial, and penumbral). An eclipse season is one of only two periods during each year when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned, allowing eclipses to occur. Each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of every six months. In addition to inspiring artists and musicians, eclipses have driven numerous scientific discoveries.

Total solar eclipses are particularly important because they allow scientists to see a part of the Sun’s atmosphere known as the corona, which is too faint to see except when the bright light of the Sun’s surface is blocked. Total solar eclipses also provide an opportunity to study Earth’s atmosphere under uncommon conditions. In contrast to the global change in light that occurs every day at dusk and dawn, a solar eclipse changes the illumination of Earth and its atmosphere under a comparatively small region of the Moon’s shadow. This localized blocking of solar energy is useful for studying the Sun’s effects on our atmosphere, especially the upper atmosphere where the Sun’s energy creates a layer of charged particles called the ionosphere. Understanding this region is important because it hosts many low-Earth-orbiting satellites as well as communications signals (such as radio waves and the signals that make the Global Positioning System [GPS] work), and changes there can significantly impact our technology and communication systems.

Objectives

Your challenge is to create an activity, game, or story (through words, art, video, graphic novel, or other artistic means) that explains the mechanics of eclipses. Think about how your solution will answer the following questions:

How do eclipses occur?
Why do only some people on Earth see an eclipse at a given time?
What causes the Sun, Moon, and Earth to align?
How often do eclipses occur?
How do scientists know when and where eclipses will occur?
What is the difference between a lunar and solar eclipse?
What is an eclipse season and why do they occur approximately every six months (or twice a year)?

Potential Considerations

You may (but are not required to) consider the following:

Understanding the different alignment of the Earth, Sun, and Moon is crucial to understanding the difference between a lunar and solar eclipse.
Perspective – specifically, how far away from each other objects are – is important to understand eclipses in general and the types of eclipses that occur. Perspective plays a role in whether one sees a partial or total eclipse.
When explaining the geometry of eclipses, it is important to remember and consider that Earth’s axis and the Moon’s orbit are both tilted, which changes the placement of the Moon’s shadow.

For data and resources related to this challenge, refer to the Resources tab at the top of the page.

NASA Space Apps 2023

Eclipses: Perspective is Everything