Question

What effect would occur in the solar and lunar eclipse if the axis of the earth and that of the moon lie in the same plane?

A) Solar eclipses would occur more frequently, and lunar eclipses would occur less frequently.

B) Both solar and lunar eclipses would occur more frequently.

C) Solar eclipses would occur less frequently, and lunar eclipses would occur more frequently.

D) There would be no effect on the frequency of solar and lunar eclipses.

Answer 1

If the axis of Earth and the Moon lay in the same plane, both solar and lunar eclipses would occur more frequently because the current tilt of the Moon’s orbit prevents this from happening every month.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the axis of the Earth and that of the Moon lay in the same plane, there would be an effect on the frequency of solar and lunar eclipses. Currently, the Moon's orbit is tilted by about 5° relative to the ecliptic plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This is why we do not see an eclipse every month. If the orbits were aligned, we might expect to see both solar eclipses and lunar eclipses each month whenever the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, or vice versa. Therefore, the correct answer is B) Both solar and lunar eclipses would occur more frequently.