Eclipse

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/eclipse

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is an eclipse?An eclipse is when one space object hides another because they line up in the sky.
2. Why do solar eclipses happen only sometimes?Solar eclipses are rare because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees, so it usually misses the Sun; only during eclipse seasons do they line up.

Syzygy: A straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system, crucial for eclipses.
Ecliptic Plane: The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun, which serves as a reference for celestial object positions.
Corona: The outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere, visible during a total solar eclipse.
Umbra: The darkest, central part of a shadow cast by a celestial body during an eclipse.