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Course: Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS > Unit 2
Lesson 4: Activity: what happens during a solar or lunar eclipse?Activity: What happens during a solar or lunar eclipse?
Make science come alive in your classroom with this free hands-on activity aligned to middle school NGSS standards.
Activity: What happens during a solar or lunar eclipse?
It’s a beautiful and sunny day outside—but all of a sudden, the sky becomes dark and the temperature drops! As you look up at the sky, carefully shielding your eyes, you notice that something is blocking the sun. It’s a solar eclipse!
In this hands-on activity, students explore the Earth-sun-moon system to learn about which conditions are necessary for a solar or lunar eclipse to occur. Students then apply their knowledge of the Earth-sun-moon system to debunk a common misconception about solar or lunar eclipses.
Overview
This activity is designed to be completed in three 45-minute class periods, with additional time required for follow-up creative projects. The activity consists of the following parts:
- Setting the stage—Students read and demonstrate understanding that the alignment of the Earth, sun, and moon can result in a solar or lunar eclipse. Students also learn about the moon’s tilted orbit and how that affects the frequency of solar and lunar eclipses. (30 minutes)
- Investigation (Part 1)—Students sketch and plan a 3D model of the Earth-sun-moon system to demonstrate the necessary conditions for a solar or lunar eclipse. (15 minutes)
- Investigation (Part 2)—Students create a 3D model of the Earth-sun-moon system to demonstrate the necessary conditions for a solar or lunar eclipse. (45 minutes)
- Let's get creative!—Students are assigned a common misconception about solar or lunar eclipses. Students create a short presentation to address the flaw in the misconception and use their Earth-sun-moon model to demonstrate the correct explanation. (45 minutes)
- Keep creating!—Students can choose from additional project ideas. Each project encourages students to combine scientific knowledge with creativity to produce something new.
Download the worksheets and get started today!
You can print out this activity or upload it to a digital classroom.
- Student activity guide (10 page worksheet)
- Teacher guide (step-by-step instructions)
NGSS performance expectations
MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
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If we look at an eclipse will we go blind?(12 votes)
You could get retinal burns which is known as eclipse blindness it would destroy cells in your retina which is in the back of your eye so best not to look at it without protection :3(20 votes)
what would happens to tides during eclipses.(8 votes)- In the hours before and after a solar eclipse we get extra high tides called Spring Tides. Does this help?(12 votes)
- how could a solar eclipse be worse to look at then the sun itself?(6 votes)
When the moon covers the sun, your pupils dilate to compensate for the darkness—so that more light can be absorbed by your retinas, the part of your eye that absorbs the light. When the moon moves past the Sun and you are looking at it, your dilated pupils leave your retinas undefended from the direct sunlight, which could likely cause permanent damage or blindness. This is worse than looking at the Sun on a normal sunny day because in that situation your pupils would be constricted to compensate for the constant brightness, and thus your retinas would be more protected from the direct sunlight.(12 votes)
why do eclipses some times look white instead of orange?(3 votes)
that is because that was probably a partial eclipse.
fun fact: the orange comes from the sun's rays that go through earth's atmosphere, happening only occasionally.
Because it happens only occasionally, that means sometimes there are no rays.(5 votes)
Can lunar eclipse blind you?(2 votes)
No, lunar eclipses can not blind you. Lunar eclipses turn the color of the moon red. They are less bright than the full moon.(6 votes)
Does solar eclispes happen for longer than a couple of minutes, if yes, why?(3 votes)
Total solar eclipses, where the Moon completely covers the Sun, typically last for a few minutes at most, with the maximum duration being around seven minutes and thirty-one seconds. However, partial and annular solar eclipses, where the Moon only partially covers the Sun, can last longer, up to a few hours in some cases.(3 votes)
- How can the moon possibly block the sun completely? Isn't the Sun, like, 100000x the size of the Moon?(2 votes)
The moon is way closer to the earth than the sun is, making it appear bigger than the sun. (just a simplified version, hope this helped tho)(1 vote)
why is the moon getting far away form earth(2 votes)
As far as I know, the moon causes earth to be elongated rather than a perfect sphere. This causes the gravitational influences to accelerate the moon into higher orbit. But this is simplified and based on what I remember, so you might want to research on a trusted website about it.(1 vote)
- hi i like the sun(2 votes)
I do too. Without it, there could not be life.(1 vote)
- why does the temperature drop(2 votes)
because the moon prevents direct sunlight to the planet we call earth (lol)(3 votes)