Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. There are two different types of lunar eclipses. The first is a total eclipse which occurs when the entire moon passes through the Earth's shadow. A partial eclipse takes place when only part of the moon passes through the shadow.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses last for a long duration of time, they can last up to almost 2 hours. Another difference is that they can be observed by anyone on the night side of the Earth. They are also not harmful to your eyes like solar eclipses.
You may be asking why are they red? In most cases the moon does not become completely dark, but instead it turns a reddish color. This occurs because of the Earth's shape, it bends light from the Sun around the atmosphere and reflects it toward the Moon. The light is red because the atmosphere absorbs the other colors present in sunlight in greater amounts than it does red.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon's shadow sweeps across the face of the Earth. The shadow usually moves from west to east at a speed of 2,000 miles per hour. People that observe this type of eclipse might see one of three different kinds.
The first is a total eclipse and occurs when the moon completely blocks out the sun. This happens to be a very rare event and an impressive sight. At the moment of total eclipse, a halo flashes into view around the darkened sun. This halo is the sun's outer atmosphere, which is called the corona. They only last at most about 7 minutes, but on the average about 2.5 minutes. A total eclipse can only be viewed by certain parts of the world, these places lie in the path of totality. This path is only about 170 miles wide.
The next kind is an annular eclipse which takes place when the moon only darkens the middle of the sun leaving a bright ring around the edges visible. The last kind is a partial eclipse which is seen when the moon covers only part of the sun. Under no circumstances should a solar eclipse be viewed directly with the naked eye. Invisible infrared rays are given off by the sun that can damage your eyes. Only when using a pinhole protector, or similar device should you view this phenomena.
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