Eclipse Gizmo — 2d
Users can move the Moon around the Earth to trigger different eclipse scenarios.
| Question | Gizmo Action | |----------|---------------| | Why isn’t there an eclipse every full moon? | Keep Moon’s tilt at 5°, advance time – see most full moons miss the shadow. | | What determines total vs. partial eclipse? | Adjust Moon’s distance – partial occurs when Moon partly crosses shadow edge. | | Can a solar eclipse happen at night? | No – solar eclipse requires Sun, Moon, Earth alignment – daytime only. | 2d eclipse gizmo
The 2D Eclipse Gizmo can be implemented using various programming languages and graphics libraries, such as Java, Python, or C++ with OpenGL or DirectX. The implementation involves the following steps: Users can move the Moon around the Earth
| Eclipse type | Alignment required | Moon phase | Tilt needed | |--------------|--------------------|------------|--------------| | Solar | Sun–Moon–Earth | New Moon | 0° (node alignment) | | Lunar | Sun–Earth–Moon | Full Moon | 0° (node alignment) | | | What determines total vs