Question

Why aren’t there solar and lunar eclipses every month?

A. Because clouds in Earth’s atmosphere block the Moon’s shadow.
B. Because of the gravitational effects of Jupiter on the Sun.
C. Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbit.
D. There are, it’s just that we cannot detect all of them.

Answer 1

The answer is C.

When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth's shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours which is how a lunar eclipse happens.

When the Moon orbits Earth, the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth. When this happens, the Moon blocks the light of the Sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the Sun, or a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow onto Earth.