During a lunar eclipse, what is the penumbra?
a It is the part of the moon's shadow where the sun is only partially blocked
b Is is the part of Earth's shadow where the sun is only partially blocked
c It is the part of the moon's shadow where the sun is completely blocked
d It is the part of Earth's shadow where the sun is completely blocked
The correct answer is b. It is the part of Earth's shadow where the sun is only partially blocked. The penumbra is the outer part of the shadow during a lunar eclipse, where the sunlight is partially blocked by the Earth. In this region, the moon appears dimmer but is not completely in shadow.
During a lunar eclipse, the penumbra is option b: it is the part of Earth's shadow where the sun is only partially blocked.
The penumbra during a lunar eclipse is option a, which is the part of the moon's shadow where the sun is only partially blocked. To understand this, let's break it down:
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. This shadow is made up of two parts - the umbra and the penumbra.
The umbra is the inner, darker part of the shadow, where the Sun is completely blocked by the Earth. This is what causes the total eclipse when the Moon passes through the umbra.
The penumbra, on the other hand, is the outer, lighter part of the shadow. In this region, the Sun is only partially blocked by the Earth. When the Moon passes through the penumbra, it experiences a partial eclipse.
So, during a lunar eclipse, the penumbra is the part of the Moon's shadow where the Sun is only partially blocked, making option a the correct answer.