SCIENCE
EARTH SCIENCE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Moon’s orbit is circular and Earth’s orbit is elliptical
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Moon’s orbit is elliptical and Earth’s orbit is elliptical
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plane of the Moon’s orbit is different from the plane of Earth’s orbit
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plane of the Moon’s orbit is the same as the plane of Earth’s orbit
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Detailed explanation-1: -A solar eclipse does not occur at every new moon, nor does a lunar eclipse occur at every full moon, because the Moon’s orbital plane is inclined to the ecliptic, the plane of the orbit of Earth around the Sun. The angle between the planes is about 5°; thus, the Moon can pass well above or below the Sun.
Detailed explanation-2: -The Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This tilt is the reason why we have occasional eclipses instead of eclipses every month.
Detailed explanation-3: -Solar eclipses do not occur every time there is a new moon phase because the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees (opens in new tab) relative to Earth’s orbit around the sun. For this reason, the moon’s shadow usually passes either above or below Earth.
Detailed explanation-4: -This is due to the large relative size of Earth over the Moon (the Moon’s diameter is only about 2150 miles), therefore casting a large umbral shadow on the Moon. In addition, lunar eclipses are more frequent than their solar counterparts.
Detailed explanation-5: -The Moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees compared to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Because of this tilt, the Moon as seen from Earth’s perspective usually passes above or below the Sun when it passes between us and the Sun.