Science is that simple

Lunar eclipse is one of the most common celestial phenomenon.Yet,not many know some of the simple scientific principles behind its occurance.        What is a lunar eclipse?     Lunar eclipse occurs when the shadow cast by earth falls on the moon. The moon revolves around our earth once in a month. Well, if that is the case, then lunar eclipse should be a monthly phenomenon right? But, a lunar eclipse occurs like twice a year max. Why?  Reason is, the moon has an orbit which is inclined to the earth’s rotation axis by about 5 degrees. Thus, the sun, earth and moon do not come in a straight line often. But when it does, earth does cast its shadow on the moon and we have an eclipse. If the shadow of earth falls on the moon, it should not be visible right? It would not have been, but for the earth’s atmosphere. What does the Earth’s atmosphere do? To know why, let us go back to the 17 th century when Newton performed one of his...