Why Isn't There An Eclipse Every Month?

Since there's another pair of eclipses coming up (a partial lunar and an annular solar) I thought I'd talk about why eclipses occur with the frequency they do. It's mostly a consequence of the moon's orbit not being in the same plane as the earth's orbit (the latter of which is referred to as the plane of the ecliptic for precisely this reason). As always please let me know if you have any questions, and if you have a chance look out for the upcoming eclipses!
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#physics #astronomy #space #eclipse #earth #moon #blender #3danimation

[@behaviorallogic]

I learned things! And nice version of Claire de Lune.

[@SaanMigwell]

I mean techinically the Lunar cycle is just one 28 day long lunar eclipse.

[@EricaCalman]

Not quite, 50% of the moon remains illuminated during the entirety of a lunar cycle it just isn't always the side facing the earth. Every new moon is just when the far side is illuminated. During a lunar eclipse the entire moon is in shadow as the far side is facing away from the sun the same way it is during any full moon ant the near side is occluded during the eclipse.

[@SaanMigwell]

@@EricaCalman Right, I knew that. I confused the two things way back in school as well. Phases are caused by alignment, eclipse are caused by shadow.