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Goes much more in depth and talks about tidal waves

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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What are Tides - Tides and Water Levels: NOAA's National Ocean Service Education

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National Ocean Service's Education Online tutorial on Tides and Water levels: What Are Tides?

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This shows the types of tides

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Tides are caused by the moon. Tides are when the ocean appears to go higher up on the beach. There are two main levels of tide, high and low tide. There are also different types of tides. Spring and neap, these are caused by different positions of the earth, moon and sun(see images).

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Goes more in depth with the different types of eclipses

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A solar eclipse is a spectacular sight and a rare astronomical event. Each one is only visible from a limited area.

@timeanddate.com

October 14, 2023: Annular Solar Eclipse

On October 14, an annular solar eclipse will sweep across the Americas.

Annularity, where the Sun forms a 'ring of fire' around the Moon, is visible along a narrow path that crosses the USA, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. Elsewhere in the Americas-from Alaska to Argentina-a partial eclipse will be visible.
Watch it LIVE!
The Moon Eclipses the Sun

An eclipse of the Sun happens when the New Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun's rays and casting a shadow on parts of Earth.

The Moon's shadow is not big enough to engulf the entire planet, so the shadow is always limited to a certain area (see map illustrations below). This area changes during the course of the eclipse because the Moon and Earth are in constant motion: Earth continuously rotates around its axis while it orbits the Sun, and the Moon orbits Earth. This is why solar eclipses seem to travel from one place to another.

Types of Solar Eclipses

There are 4 different types of solar eclipses. How much of the Sun's disk is eclipsed, the eclipse magnitude, depends on which part of the Moon's shadow falls on Earth.

1. Partial solar eclipses occur when the Moon only partially obscures the Sun's disk and casts only its penumbra on Earth.

2. Annular solar eclipses take place when the Moon's disk is not big enough to cover the entire disk of the Sun, and the Sun's outer edges remain visible to form a ring of fire in the sky. An annular eclipse of the Sun takes place when the Moon is near apogee, and the Moon's antumbra falls on Earth.

3. Total solar eclipses happen when the Moon completely covers the Sun, and it can only take place when the Moon is near perigee, the point of the Moon's orbit closest to Earth. You can only see a total solar eclipse if you're in the path where the Moon casts its darkest shadow, the umbra.

4. Hybrid Solar Eclipses, also known as annular-total eclipses, are the rarest type. They occur when the same eclipse changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and/or vice versa, along the eclipse's path.

Solar Eclipses Mainly Look Partial

Solar eclipses are only visible from within the area on Earth where the Moon's shadow falls, and the closer you are to the center of the shadow's path, the bigger the eclipse looks.

Solar eclipses are usually named for their darkest, or maximum, point. The exception is the hybrid eclipse.

The darkest point of solar eclipses is only visible from a small area. In most places and for most of the duration, total, annular, and hybrid eclipses look like a partial solar eclipse.

Only around New Moon

For a solar eclipse to take place, the Sun, the Moon, and Earth must be aligned in a perfect or near perfect straight line. A rough alignment of the three bodies happens every lunar month, at the New Moon.
So, why isn't there a solar eclipse every New Moon?

The plane of the Moon's path around the Earth is inclined at an angle of approximately 5° to Earth's orbital plane around the Sun-the ecliptic. The points where the plane of the Moon's orbital path meets the ecliptic are called lunar nodes.

A perfect or near-perfect alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth can only take place when the New Moon is near a lunar node. This can only happen during periods that come a little less than 6 months apart, and last, on average, around 34.5 days. It is only during this time, also known as the eclipse season, that eclipses can occur.

When there is a Full Moon during the eclipse season, we see a lunar eclipse.
Different types of eclipses
Protect Your Eyes!

Never look directly at the Sun, eclipsed or otherwise, without any protective eyewear. The Sun's radiation can burn the retinas in your eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness.

The best way to safely watch a total solar eclipse is to wear protective eclipse glasses or to project an image of the eclipsed Sun using a pinhole projector.

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Solar eclipses happen when the Moon moves between Sun and Earth, blocking the Sun's rays and casting a shadow on Earth. Find out where to see the next eclipse.

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This shows all parts to a solar eclipse.

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This shows all parts to a solar eclipse.

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A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun which casts a shadow over part of the earth. The two types of a solar eclipse are a partial and total. During a total eclipse you can see the corona which is the halo around the sun.

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Explains how there are actually 3 different types of lunar eclipses

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Lunar eclipses happen when Earth positions itself between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow across the lunar surface.

They can only occur during a and are a popular event for skywatchers worldwide as they do not require any specialist equipment to enjoy (unlike solar eclipses).

In 2023, Earth will experience two lunar eclipses. The first lunar eclipse of 2023 was a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5 and was visible across parts of Africa, Asia and Australia. The second and final lunar eclipse of 2023 will be a partial lunar eclipse on October 28 and will be visible across parts of E. Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia To find out when, where and how to see this year's lunar eclipses, check out our lunar eclipses 2023 guide.
Related: Night sky guide, what you can see tonight
What are lunar eclipses?

A lunar eclipse is caused by Earth blocking sunlight from reaching and creating a shadow across the lunar surface.

The sun-blocking Earth casts two shadows that fall on the moon during a lunar eclipse: The umbra is a full, dark shadow, and the penumbra is a partial outer shadow.

1. Total lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow is cast across the entire lunar surface.

2. Partial lunar eclipse: During a partial lunar eclipse, only part of the moon enters Earth's shadow, which may look like it is taking a "bite" out of the lunar surface. Earth's shadow will appear dark on the side of the moon facing Earth. How much of a "bite" we see depends on how the sun, Earth and moon align, according to NASA.

3. Penumbral lunar eclipse: The faint outer part of Earth's shadow is cast across the lunar surface. This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as the other two and can be difficult to see.

(Image credit: Future)

There are three types of lunar eclipses depending on how the sun, Earth and moon are aligned at the time of the event.

What happens during a lunar eclipse?

Why does the moon turn red during an eclipse?

During a total lunar eclipse, the lunar surface turns a rusty red color, earning the nickname " blood moon". The eerie red appearance is caused by sunlight interacting with Earth's atmosphere.

When sunlight reaches Earth, our atmosphere scatters and filters different wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths such as blue light are scattered outward, while longer wavelengths like red are bent - or refracted - into Earth's umbra, according to the Natural History Museum. When the moon passes through Earth's umbra during a total lunar eclipse, the red light reflects off the lunar surface, giving the moon its blood-red appearance.

"How gold, orange, or red the moon appears during a total lunar eclipse depends on how much dust, water, and other particles are in Earth's atmosphere" according to NASA scientists. Other atmospheric factors such as temperature and humidity also affect the moon's appearance during a lunar eclipse.

How often do lunar eclipses happen and how long do they last?

In astronomical terms, a lunar eclipse is a relatively common phenomenon, with about three lunar eclipses occurring every year, according to the National History Museum. Approximately 29% of lunar eclipses are total lunar eclipses, according to TimeandDate.com.

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

A total eclipse can be seen from any given location - on average - once every 2.5 years.

A lunar eclipse usually lasts a few hours according to the National Weather Service with totality (the duration of total obscuration of the moon) ranging between 30 minutes to over an hour.

Lunar eclipses are more easily observed than solar eclipses, as they can be viewed with the unaided eye by any observer situated where the moon is above the horizon.

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-via Kieth Burns)

(Reminder: Never look directly at the sun, even during a total solar eclipse, without protection such as verified eclipse glasses; serious and permanent eye damage can result.)

How to see a lunar eclipse

(Image credit: NASA)

Lunar eclipses are among the easiest skywatching events to observe.

To watch one, you simply go out, look up and enjoy. You don't need a telescope or any other special equipment. However, binoculars or a small telescope will bring out details on the lunar surface - moonwatching is as interesting during an eclipse as it is at any other time. If the eclipse occurs during winter, bundle up if you plan to be out for the duration - an eclipse can take a couple of hours to unfold. Bring warm drinks and blankets or chairs for comfort.

Scientists like to watch lunar eclipses, too.

"We can get really good science out of what happens to the surface of the moon during total lunar eclipses, but again, the cool thing is that the moon changes color," Noah Petro, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, told Space.com. "It's something fun to see - it's benign, but it's a change. And anytime we see [a] change in the skies, it's always kind of exciting."

If you hope to snap a photo of a lunar eclipse, here's our guide on How to photograph a lunar eclipse with a camera. And if you need imaging equipment, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography have recommendations to make sure you're ready for the next eclipse.

What is a total lunar eclipse?

Why do lunar eclipses occur?

What's the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse?

Lunar eclipse FAQs answered by an expert

We asked meteorologist Joe Rao, a few commonly asked questions about lunar eclipses.

Additional resources

Learn more about lunar phases and eclipses with NASA Science. Explore Hanwell Community Observatory's fact sheet for more lunar eclipse information. Discover why we don't have a lunar eclipse every month with the Rice Space Institute at Rice University.

Bibliography

NASA. Blood Red Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse. NASA. Retrieved May 10, 2022,

O'Callaghan, J. (2019, July 16). Lunar eclipse guide: What they are, when to see them and where. Natural History Museum. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

NASA. ( 2017, May 3). What is an Eclipse? NASA. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

Hocken, V., Kher, A. Total Lunar Eclipse. timeanddate.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

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What are lunar eclipses and how do they occur?

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Lunar eclipses occur when Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow over the surface of the moon. We explore the different types of lunar eclipses here.

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This shows the labels for everything in the event

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Your daily source for space and astronomy news. Expert coverage of NASA missions, rocket launches, space exploration, exoplanets, and the latest discoveries in astrophysics.

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A lunar eclipse is when the moon passes in to the earths shadow. The earth has two types of shadows, the penumbra and the umbra. When the moon passes into only part of the umbra there is a partial Lunar eclipse, When it passes into the umbra a total lunar eclipse occurs aka a blood moon.

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Very detailed description of the phases of the moon

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Phases of the Moon and Percent of the Moon Illuminated

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Information on the different phases of the Moon and the percert of the Moon illuminated in each phase.

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The Universe: The Phases of the Moon | History

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This is what the moon may look like for each day of a lunar month

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What are the phases of the moon and how do they happen

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What are the phases of the moon and how do they happen

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The phases of the moon are what the moon looks like in the sky. This occurs depending on the position of the moon. The moon always has half of it lit and half of it shadowed (except for during the lunar eclipse).