Question
Why isn’t there a lunar eclipse every night?
A
Because lunar eclipses can only happen during a new moon
B
Because the orbits of Earth and the moon are on different planes
C
Because the moon disappears for a certain amount of time each year
D
Because they only happen when the moon blocks the sun’s light from reaching Earth
A
Because lunar eclipses can only happen during a new moon
B
Because the orbits of Earth and the moon are on different planes
C
Because the moon disappears for a certain amount of time each year
D
Because they only happen when the moon blocks the sun’s light from reaching Earth
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **B: Because the orbits of Earth and the moon are on different planes.**
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon, allowing the Earth's shadow to fall on the moon. However, the moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun, which means that the three bodies (Earth, moon, and sun) do not align perfectly every month. This is why lunar eclipses do not occur every night.
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon, allowing the Earth's shadow to fall on the moon. However, the moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun, which means that the three bodies (Earth, moon, and sun) do not align perfectly every month. This is why lunar eclipses do not occur every night.