- Biology
- Ready-made model
- Class 1 to 9
Solar Eclipse Physics Biology Working Model Educational Science Project
Code B0BN2FKVY2
- Paid for and delivered by Amazon. The current price and the delivery date for your PIN code are shown there.
- Sold by Gurukul Technicals Institute, Delhi.
- Need a different topic, a custom version or a school order? Ask on WhatsApp.
In this project guide
Ready-made model
About this model
This working model demonstrates a solar eclipse, when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and blocks the Sun's light. Moving the parts into line lets students show exactly how and why an eclipse happens, which is hard to imagine from a flat diagram. It suits primary and middle school science and geography exhibitions.
How it works
The science behind it
The idea the model demonstrates, in words you can use in your report and when you explain it.
Light travels in straight lines, so an opaque object casts a shadow. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon comes exactly between the Sun and the Earth and its shadow falls on the Earth. The dark central part of the shadow is the umbra: people inside it see a total eclipse. The lighter outer part is the penumbra: people there see a partial eclipse. When the Moon is near its farthest point from the Earth, it looks slightly smaller than the Sun and leaves a bright ring: an annular eclipse. The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon but also about 400 times farther away, so both look nearly the same size in our sky. Eclipses happen only at new moon, but not every new moon, because the Moon's orbit is tilted by about 5° to the Earth's. Never look at the Sun directly; use certified eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector.
Make it yourself
Make a solar eclipse model yourself
Build your own version from scratch, or use the steps to understand how the ready-made model is put together before you present it.
What you need 9
Step by step 8 steps
Fix the torch at one end of the base so its beam points along the board at the Earth's height.
Fix the Earth on its stand at the other end, with the Moon on its arm between them so that it can go round the Earth.
Darken the room, switch on the torch and line up the Sun, the Moon and the Earth: the Moon's shadow falls on the Earth.
Point out the dark centre of the shadow (the umbra), where people would see a total eclipse, and the lighter ring round it (the penumbra), where they would see a partial eclipse.
Move the Moon a little above or below the line and show that its shadow misses the Earth; because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted, there is not an eclipse every month.
Fit the motor under the Earth's stand to turn the Moon's arm slowly, and show the shadow sweeping across the Earth.
Put the Earth between the torch and the Moon to show a lunar eclipse for comparison.
Add labels, and a note that the sizes and distances in the model are not to scale.
Read this first
Safety first
Go through these points before you build or switch anything on. Younger students should do this with an adult.
- Never look at the real Sun during an eclipse except through certified solar eclipse glasses; sunglasses, X-ray film and smoked glass are not safe.
- Do not shine the torch into anyone's eyes.
- Keep fingers clear of the moving arm and switch off before adjusting it.
- Use the glue gun only with an adult.
Troubleshooting
If something does not work
The usual problems with this model and how to fix them. Open a problem to see the fix.
The shadow on the Earth is too faint
The room is too bright or the beam is too wide. Darken the room and use a small, bright torch, placed a little further back.
I cannot see a separate umbra and penumbra
The size of the light and the distances decide this. Moving the Moon closer to the Earth gives a bigger dark centre, and a wider light gives a wider penumbra.
The Moon's arm wobbles
Shorten the arm, glue it firmly to the motor shaft, and balance it with a small counterweight on the other side.
The Moon goes round too fast
Use a slower geared motor or one cell instead of two, so visitors can follow the shadow.
Exhibition day
How to present it
A running order for the exhibition table or the practical, step by step.
Line up the Sun, Moon and Earth in the model slowly and point out the moment the shadow reaches the Earth.
Show the umbra and penumbra with a torch and a ball if the model does not show them clearly.
Explain the difference between total, partial and annular eclipses with three small drawings.
Give the safety message: never view an eclipse with the naked eye, ordinary sunglasses or X-ray film.
Practice
Viva questions
Practice questions on this model, with short answers. Try each one aloud before you open the answer.
When does a solar eclipse occur?
When the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth in a straight line and its shadow falls on the Earth.
On which phase of the Moon can a solar eclipse occur?
Only on a new moon day.
Why doesn't a solar eclipse happen every month?
Because the Moon's orbit is tilted by about 5° to the Earth's orbit, so on most new moons its shadow passes above or below the Earth.
What is an annular eclipse?
An eclipse in which the Moon, being farther from the Earth, looks smaller than the Sun and leaves a bright ring of sunlight around it.
Project file
Project file outline
The headings of the project file, in order. Give each heading its own section and write it in your own words.
Free ebook: Writing a Science Project FileContents
- Aim: to show how a solar eclipse happens
- Light travels in straight lines: shadows, umbra and penumbra
- Positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth in a solar eclipse, with a diagram
- Total, partial and annular eclipses
- Why there is not an eclipse at every new moon
- Solar and lunar eclipses compared
- Safe ways to watch a solar eclipse, and myths versus science
- How the model was made, and why it cannot be to scale
- Conclusion and sources used
Buying checklist
Before you buy
What to check before you order the model, and what to do when it arrives.
1Before you order
- Check that the model suits your class and the chapter on light, shadows or the solar system.
- Read the listing to see what the model uses as the Sun and whether it needs batteries; do not assume they are included.
- Practise moving the parts into line smoothly before the exhibition.
- Keep the box so the arm and balls are not bent or crushed.
- Check the delivery date for your PIN code on the marketplace, and order well before the exhibition or practical.
2When it arrives
- When it arrives, try it in a darkened room, as a bright hall can wash out the shadow, and carry a small torch just in case.
Next steps
Take it further
Ways to turn this model into a bigger investigation or a stronger exhibition entry.
Make a pinhole viewer from two cards and explain how it lets you watch a real eclipse safely.
Tilt the Moon's orbit slightly in your model and show that eclipses happen only when the new moon crosses the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Find the dates of coming eclipses visible from India from a reliable astronomy source and mark them on a calendar beside the model.
Audience
Who it suits
Class 4 to 8 science and geography exhibitions on light, shadows and the solar system.
- ClassClass 1 to 9
- SubjectBiology
- TypeReady-made model
Free to read
Free ebooks for this topic
Free PDF ebooks from Gurukul Technicals Institute on the science, the making and the presenting of projects like this one.
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