Whats the difference between a lunar eclipse and the phases of the moon?
Not quite: the phases of the Moon are the *Moon’s* shadow on itself. Since the Moon is roughly spherical, and the angle between the Earth, Moon and Sun changes constantly, we see different portions of the Moon lit up at any given time. This is the cause of the phases. A lunar eclipse is not the shadow of the Moon hiding the Moon, but rather the shadow of the Earth falling on the Moon.
