Susan Wollemann, age 12, of Milwaukee
Is there ever an eclipse of the earth
We get an eclipse of the sun when the moon comes exactly between the earth and the sun. The sun is blotted out and the moons long shadow falls upon the earth. We get an eclipse of the moon when the earth gets exactly between the sun and the full moors. Then the earth’s long shadow falls upon the moon making it a dark coppery color,
An eclipse of the earth would have to be seen from the moon, It could happen when the moon's shadow fell upon the earth in a solar eclipse. But the moon's little shadow is not big enough to eclipse the whole of the earth. It makes a dark center circle no more than 170 miles across. Around it is a paler shadow some 2000 miles across. If you were on the moon, you might call this an eclipse, or partial eclipse of the earth,
However, there are times when the earth can eclipse the whole sun from the moon. This happens when the earth gets exactly between the sun and moon. We see a lunar eclipse at such times. On the moon, the earth may be eclipsing the whole sun.