Eclipses
Physics ⇒ Earth and Space Physics
Eclipses starts at 7 and continues till grade 12.
QuestionsToday has an evolving set of questions to continuously challenge students so that their knowledge grows in Eclipses.
How you perform is determined by your score and the time you take.
When you play a quiz, your answers are evaluated in concept instead of actual words and definitions used.
See sample questions for grade 10
A student observes that a solar eclipse is only visible from a small region on Earth. Explain why this is the case.
Calculate the maximum possible duration of totality during a total solar eclipse. Give your answer in minutes.
Describe the difference between the umbra and penumbra during an eclipse.
Describe what an annular solar eclipse looks like from Earth.
Explain why solar eclipses do not occur every new moon.
Explain why the Moon appears red during a total lunar eclipse.
If a solar eclipse occurs at a new moon, what phase will the Moon be in during a lunar eclipse two weeks later?
If the Moon's orbit were not tilted relative to the Earth's orbit, what would happen to the frequency of eclipses?
What is an eclipse?
What is the main difference between a partial and a total lunar eclipse?
Which type of eclipse is more commonly observed from a single location on Earth: solar or lunar?
A student claims that a lunar eclipse can be seen by anyone on the night side of Earth, while a solar eclipse can only be seen from a small area. Justify this statement using the geometry of shadows.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through the Earth's umbra. If the Earth's umbra at the distance of the Moon is approximately 9,200 km in diameter and the Moon's orbital speed is about 1 km/s, estimate the maximum duration (in hours) that the Moon can spend completely within the umbra.
Explain how the relative sizes and distances of the Sun, Earth, and Moon affect the types of eclipses observed from Earth.
If the Moon's orbital plane were tilted by 10° instead of about 5°, how would this affect the frequency of eclipses?
A solar eclipse is observed at two different locations: one experiences a total eclipse, while the other sees only a partial eclipse. Explain the reason for this difference based on the geometry of the Moon's shadow.
A student claims that during a total solar eclipse, the temperature at the surface of the Earth drops noticeably. Explain the physical reason for this phenomenon and discuss the factors that influence the magnitude of the temperature change.
Calculate the approximate speed at which the Moon's umbral shadow moves across Earth's surface during a total solar eclipse, given that the shadow path is about 10,000 km long and totality lasts for a maximum of 7.5 minutes at any location.
During a partial lunar eclipse, only a portion of the Moon enters Earth's umbra. If the Earth's umbra at the Moon's distance is 9,200 km in diameter and the Moon's diameter is 3,474 km, what is the maximum fraction of the Moon's surface that can be in total shadow at one time?
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon does not disappear completely from view but instead appears reddish. Explain, using the concept of atmospheric scattering, why this happens and what this reveals about Earth's atmosphere.
