ScienceFreePrintable

Blood Moon Eclipse Investigation

A free science worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Blood Moon Eclipse Investigation

Read the science briefing and data, then solve the investigation questions. A “Blood Moon” is the informal name for the Moon’s reddish appearance during a total lunar eclipse.

Science briefing

A lunar eclipse happens when Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, and all three line up. Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. Earth’s atmosphere bends some sunlight into the umbra. Air molecules scatter much of the blue light, while more red and orange light continues through the atmosphere and reaches the Moon. The Moon reflects this light, so it can look coppery or red. Earth’s shadow itself is not red, and the Moon does not make its own light. A lunar eclipse can happen only at full Moon, but not every full Moon. The Moon’s orbit is tilted compared with Earth’s orbit around the Sun, so the three bodies usually pass above or below a straight line. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with your eyes. From Aotearoa New Zealand, whether one is visible depends on the time and where the Moon is in the sky.

1.According to the science briefing, which body is between the Sun and the Moon during a lunar eclipse?

Earth
The Sun
The Moon
A cloud

2.What term does the briefing use for the darkest central part of Earth’s shadow?

3.Why can red-orange light reach the Moon during a total lunar eclipse?

Eclipse-watch data

A science club records how much of the Moon is inside Earth’s umbra during one eclipse. The values are estimates for this investigation, not a prediction for every eclipse.

Time (NZ time)

Moon inside umbra

Appearance noted

9:00 pm

Bright; no eclipse shadow on the Moon

9:30 pm

50%

Part of the Moon looks dark

10:00 pm

100%

Moon looks copper-red

10:30 pm

50%

Part of the Moon is bright again

4.At what recorded time was the Moon completely inside the umbra?

5.Which observation best matches a total lunar eclipse in the data?

At 9:00 pm, when 0% was inside the umbra
At 9:30 pm, when 50% was inside the umbra
At 10:00 pm, when 100% was inside the umbra
At 10:30 pm, when 50% was inside the umbra

6.From 9:30 pm to 10:00 pm, what changed in the data? Give both the change in percentage and the change in appearance.

7.True or false: Earth’s shadow is red, and that is what makes the Moon look red.

TrueFalse

8.A friend says, “There is a full Moon tonight, so a lunar eclipse must happen.” Use the science briefing to explain why this claim is not always correct.

9.Choose the safest way to observe a lunar eclipse.

Look at the Moon with your eyes; no special eye protection is needed
Look at the Sun through binoculars
Use a filter to stare at the Sun

10.Make a prediction: if Earth’s atmosphere scattered blue light but no red-orange light reached the Moon, what colour would the Moon appear during totality? Explain your reasoning.