A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the Moon passes through a portion of the Earth’s shadow. A special kind of lunar eclipse, called a total lunar eclipse, happens only when Earthlings see a full Moon and when the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are positioned on a hypothetical straight line—what is called being ‘in alignment’.

When these three celestial bodies are in alignment the Moon travels into the Earth’s shadow—that is, the Sun is on one side of the Earth while the Moon is on the other side so that the Sun’s rays are blocked by the Earth. When this happens, the Moon only receives indirect sunlight that has been deflected toward it by the Earth’s atmosphere. The Moon is still seen by people on the Earth. However, since sunlight has been reflected off of the Earth’s atmosphere, it appears red. Thus, this sunlight, when reaching the Moon, will make the lunar surface appear to people on Earth as having a coppery red, brownish, or even orange color.

For additional information on the March 3rd total lunar eclipse, read the ITwire article “See the total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2007” at http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/9587/1066/.

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