Orbit

Dorothy Vaughan

Dorothy Vaughan
Credit: Unknown author

Occupation: Mathematician and Human Computer

Year born: 1910

Research Areas: Computer Programming

Centre of Mass

Earth and Moon taken by
the Galileo Spacecraft
Credit: NASA

Mass is the amount of "stuff", or matter, and object has and this amount remains the same wherever the object is, even though it's weight will change depending upon gravity.

The animation below demonstrates a Total and Partial Solar eclipse. Notice how the sky gets darker as the Moon slowly passes across the face of the Sun, and that it gets much darker during a total eclipse than during a partial one.

Lunar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse

An eclipse of the Sun, or Solar Eclipse, occurs when the Moon comes directly between the Sun and the Earth so that the Earth lies in the shadow of the Moon.

Phases of the Moon

Lunar cycle — Moon Phases Diagram
Credit: www.moonconnection.com with permission.

The Moon is the brightest thing in the night sky when its whole face is showing, but this only happens at full Moon. Why do we see different phases of the Moon?