--- title: Understanding Lunar Eclipses | TIME description: NASA explains how and why lunar eclipses occur. canonical: https://time.com/video/m3mo44vB/ og:title: Understanding Lunar Eclipses og:description: NASA explains how and why lunar eclipses occur. og:url: https://time.com/video/m3mo44vB/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/m3mo44vB/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Understanding Lunar Eclipses twitter:description: NASA explains how and why lunar eclipses occur. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/m3mo44vB/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Understanding Lunar Eclipses > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Understanding Lunar Eclipses [Watch (HLS stream): Understanding Lunar Eclipses](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/m3mo44vB.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2014-10-07. NASA explains how and why lunar eclipses occur._ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:21 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Watch: The Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Sky Show](/video/tQDwqmA5/) ### Watch: The Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Sky Show [The Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century](/video/YZn3r5uB/) ### The Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century [Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse](/video/b9Dw2VIJ/) ### Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Like clockwork the full moon appears every month in our sky. A sight so familiar that we often take it for granted. But about twice a year over a course of a few hours, the full moon sports a decidedly different look. What causes this sudden change? A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Just as a solar eclipse occurs when part of the Earth passes through the moon's shadow. But the moon circles the Earth every month as it cycles through its phases. Lining up at both full moon and new moon. So why don't eclipses happen twice a month? The reason is that the moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted relative to the Earth's orbit around the sun. Although the Earth and the moon always cast long shadows, they rarely shade each other thanks to the moon's orbital tilt. But if that's the case why do eclipses happen at all? Throughout the year the moons orbital tilt remains fixed with respect to the stars. Meaning that it changes with respect to the sun. About twice a year this puts the moon in just the right position to pass through the earth's shadow, causing a lunar eclipse. As the moon passes into the central part of the earth's shadow called the umbra, it darkens dramatically. Once it's entirely within the umbra the moon appears a dim red due to sunlight scattered through the earth's atmosphere. In fact if you watch the eclipse from the surface of the moon, you'd see the sun set behind the entire earth. Bathing you in a warm red glow. Back home you'll have to stay up late to watch a lunar eclipse. But if you do you'll see the moon in rare form. And you'll catch a brief glimpse of our own planet's long shadow. 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