Lunar Eclipse

When the Moon moves through the shadow of the Earth, it loses its bright direct illumination by the Sun, although its disk still remains faintly visible. Since the shadow of the Earth is directed away from the Sun, a lunar eclipse can occur only when there is a full Moon - that is, when the Moon is on the side of the Earth opposite to that of the Sun. The longest that the total eclipse can last is about one hour and 45 minutes. During the eclipse, the surface of the Moon cools, depending on the makeup of the lunar soil, which varies just like the Earth's soil varies.