Why is there an eclipse?
An eclipse happens when the moon slides right in front of the sun.
Pip’s answer
- An eclipse happens when the moon slides right in front of the sun.
- The moon blocks the sunlight, so the sky gets dim for a little while.
- Then the moon keeps moving, and the bright sun peeks out again. Peekaboo!
- Ooh, the sun is much bigger, but so far away that the moon can cover it!
Try it together
Can you cover the sun with your hand, like the moon does?
For grown-ups
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, blocking sunlight. The sun is about 400 times wider than the moon but also about 400 times farther away, so they appear nearly the same size in our sky. In a lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow falls on the moon instead.
Ask your child: Why do you think we need special glasses to watch a solar eclipse?
More questions kids ask
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
- 🌖Why can we see the moon in the daytime?
- ☀️Why is the sun so bright?
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- ⭐Why do stars twinkle?
- 🌕Why doesn’t the moon fall down?
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