A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth. A lunar eclipse can last up to an hour and a half. During a lunar eclipse the moon may turn a reddish color. It is not dangerous at all to look at a lunar eclipse because the moon does not make its own light.

Animation by Stephen Gray using photos © James Funkhouser.

 

Photograph © James Funkhouser.

A Solar Eclipse occurs when the moon goes in front of the sun and blocks most of the sun's light from the earth. During a total eclipse all you can see from earth is a ring of light around the moon which is part of the sun the moon did not cover. It is dangerous to look at a solar eclipse directly, even if you have sun glasses or smoked glass. It is better to view solar eclipses through a pin hole projector.