Page 114 - Viva ICSE Science 5 : E-book

ACTIVITY TIME
To show the formation of solar eclipse

You Need:
A football, a cricket ball, a torch, a table

What to Do:
• Place the cricket ball and the football on the table at
about 12 inches apart.
• Now hold the torch and stand about two feet away from
the cricket ball, such that the football, the cricket ball
and the torch are in a straight line in the same sequence.
• Shine the torch focusing on the cricket ball.

• Observe the shadow of the cricket ball.
You will observe that the shadow of the cricket ball falls on the football, i.e., the cricket ball acts as
an obstruction in the path of light and the football.
Here, the torch represents the sun, the cricket ball represents the moon and the football represents
the earth. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line in the same order, then the
moon blocks the sunlight reaching the earth and casts its shadow on the earth. This causes solar
eclipse.

Lunar eclipse

Lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon. The

earth blocks the sunlight reaching the moon, thereby casting its shadow on it. When
the earth’s shadow completely covers the moon, it is a total lunar eclipse. When it covers

the moon only partially, it is a partial lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can last up to an hour
and a half and it is absolutely safe to watch it with naked or unaided eyes.

moon

earth
sun

total lunar eclipse

Lunar eclipse

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