A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. When the earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, it is called a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can happen only when the moon is full, because then it is on the other side of the earth from the sun. The earth casts a long shadow through space. As the full moon passes into this shadow, people can see the edge of the earth's shadow. bigsiteofamazingfacts.com; wikipedia.org; eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. When the earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, it is called a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can happen only when the moon is full, because then it is on the other side of the earth from the sun. The earth casts a long shadow through space. As the full moon passes into this shadow, people can see the edge of the earth's shadow. bigsiteofamazingfacts.com; wikipedia.org; eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov