Understanding Lunar Eclipses

  • Released Tuesday, April 8, 2014
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What can cause the full Moon to quickly darken, then glow red? A lunar eclipse: a striking display of orbital mechanics that occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. To learn more, watch the video below.

It's not often that we get a chance to see our planet's shadow, but a lunar eclipse gives us a fleeting glimpse, as the Earth's shadow is projected onto the full Moon over the course of a few hours. Though a lunar eclipse can be seen only at night, it's worth staying up to catch the show.

For complete transcript, click here.

Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/north-america-to-experience-total-lunar-eclipse/#.U0QZq427nUi

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Tuesday, April 8, 2014.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:51 PM EDT.

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