THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE EARTH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 21 May 1936, Page 3

THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE EARTH

(When we watch flic shadow cross the moon's face we are really looking at the shadow of the earth in which we live. An eclipse of the moon is proof that the earth is round in shape and not flat, although objects other than spheres can cast round shadows. A howl held in a certain position, a near, or a cylinder will throw round shadows like that of a sphere. But whenever the Earth’s shadow is thrown upon the moon it is always round. We have morn chances in England of seeing a total eclipse of the moon than one ol the sun. although there are. about four esclipses of the sun to every three of the moon. The reason is that an eclipse ol the moon is always visible from more than half of the earth’s surface. An observer at any particular place may on an average see rather more than half of the lunar eclipses that occur Eclipses ol the sun, oil the other hand, arc visible from only a small part of the earth’s Mufnce. When the earth is between the sun and the moon there is cast, into space a shadow which is from 843,000 to 871,000 miles long, according to the earth’s distance from the sun. Tfc is this shadow striking the moon which causes the black round form that passes over its face.