SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-lunar-eclipse-full-moon

A lunar eclipse can only happen during which Moon phase?

Full Moon, when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon.

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  1. New Moon
  2. First quarter
  3. Full Moon ✔

Why: In a lunar eclipse Earth lines up between the Sun and Moon, and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. That lineup only happens at full Moon.

Huh, didn't know that: Eclipses happen during eclipse seasons, about twice a year, because the Moon's orbit is tilted.

The dad joke
Why did the Moon turn red during the eclipse? It was blushing in Earth's shadow.
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References

Answer: Full Moon. In a lunar eclipse Earth lines up between the Sun and Moon, and Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. That lineup only happens at full Moon.

  1. NASA Science: Types of Eclipses science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types
    Lunar eclipses occur at the full moon phase.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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