Printable ScholarSolar Eclipse Diagram
Free printable solar eclipse diagram — a labeled illustration showing the Sun-Moon-Earth alignment, the Moon's umbra and penumbra shadow cones, total and partial eclipse zones on Earth, and a view from Earth during totality. Download a high-resolution PDF or PNG for Letter paper.
Part of the Moon Phases and Eclipses teaching pack for grades 4 to 6: 29 lesson slides and 13 printables with answer keys. The diagrams are free.
Blank diagram to label
Download blank version + answer key 7 blanks, a word bank, and the answer key on page 2Teaching ideas for Moon Phases and Eclipses
Pick the ideas that suit your class, then follow the plan or use the sheets in any order.
- Turn with a ball. Darken the room and shine one flashlight from the side. Each student holds a ball at arm’s length and turns slowly in place, watching the lit part of the ball change shape.
- Keep a Moon diary. Students look for the Moon each day they can for a few weeks and sketch its shape. Then they name each sketch using the phases of the Moon diagram.
- Cast a shadow. Use a flashlight for the Sun, a large ball for Earth and a small ball for the Moon. Line them up to make a solar eclipse, then a lunar eclipse.
- Line up three students. Three students are the Sun, Earth and Moon. The class tells them where to stand for a solar eclipse and for a lunar eclipse.
A plan for the week
| Day 1 | Open with one of the ideas above. Teach the lesson with the slides while students fill in the guided notes. Then students label the blank diagram and work out the phases on “Read the Moon Phases Diagram”. | Lesson slides (PowerPoint) (in the pack) Moon Phases and Eclipses Guided Notes (in the pack) Phases of the Moon Diagram Blank Phases of the Moon Read the Moon Phases Diagram (in the pack) |
| Day 2 | Teach the solar eclipse and the lunar eclipse from the two labeled diagrams, then students label the two blank ones. | Solar Eclipse Diagram Lunar Eclipse Diagram Blank Solar Eclipse Blank Lunar Eclipse |
| Day 3 | Students work out who sees a total or partial eclipse on “Read the Eclipse Diagram”. Then read “The Changing Moon” and answer the questions. | Read the Eclipse Diagram (in the pack) The Changing Moon (in the pack) |
| Day 4 | Students sort facts into solar eclipse only, lunar eclipse only, or both. | Solar Eclipse or Lunar Eclipse? (in the pack) |
| Day 5 | Review with the crossword, then give the quiz. | Moon and Eclipses Crossword (in the pack) Moon Phases and Eclipses Quiz (in the pack) |
The sheets marked “in the pack” are in the Moon Phases and Eclipses teaching pack below.
NGSS standards
- Supports MS-ESS1-1: Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
Moon Phases and Eclipses teaching pack
Teaching the phases of the Moon and eclipses? Here is a ready-to-teach lesson. 29 slides and 13 printables that cover the whole topic, from the guided notes to the quiz. Present the slides while students fill in the guided notes, then use the worksheets, crossword and quiz, with every answer key.
Free on this page: 6 of the 13 printables, marked Download below. The whole pack is $7: 24 pages in one print-ready file, the 29 lesson slides, the practice sheets, the crossword, the quiz and every answer key.
OnlineThe pack also comes as an online lesson for Google Classroom: every part on screen for students, plus a self-grading Google Forms quiz.
GameSee the phases move with the free Moon Phases game: students drag the Moon around Earth and watch its shape change in the sky, see why the dark part isn't Earth's shadow, and make lunar and solar eclipses.
One-time purchase. Instant download. Secure checkout by Stripe. Want to see a whole pack first? The Inside the Earth and Volcanoes pack is free.See all 31 packs in the bundle
- The Microscope
- Photosynthesis
- Parts of a Plant and Flower
- Life Cycle of a Plant
- Life Cycles of a Butterfly and a Frog
- Food Chains and Food Webs
- The Water Cycle
- Human Body Organs
- Skeletal System
- Muscular System
- Digestive System
- Respiratory System
- Heart and Circulation
- Nervous System and Brain
- Eye and Ear
- Parts of a Tooth
- Inside the Earth and Volcanoes
- Rocks and the Rock Cycle
- Layers of the Atmosphere
- Types of Clouds
- Weathering, Erosion and Deposition
- Types of Landforms
- The Solar System
- The Seasons
- Moon Phases and Eclipses (this pack)
- States of Matter
- Electric Circuits
- Forms of Energy
- Scientific Method
- Simple Machines
- Magnets and Magnetic Fields
Teach Moon Phases and Eclipses with 29 ready-made slides
Open the PowerPoint and teach: an opening question, the parts one at a time on the diagram, quick checks and an exit question. Students fill in the guided notes sheet as you go.
Every slide comes with teacher notes: what to say, what to ask, and sample answers.
The slides (PowerPoint and a PDF copy) and the guided notes sheet come with the pack.
What is in the pack, in teaching order
In the pack
1. TeachLesson Slides29 slides to present, with your notes for each one.In the $7 pack
In the pack
1. TeachMoon Phases and Eclipses Guided NotesStudents fill in the blanks as you present. With answer key.In the $7 pack
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Free
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In the pack
3. ReasonRead the Moon Phases DiagramRead the phases of the Moon picture: show which way the lit part grows, then work out where the Moon is at each phase and why the dark part is not Earth’s shadow.In the $7 pack
In the pack
3. ReasonRead the Eclipse DiagramRead the solar eclipse picture: trace the blocked sunlight, then work out who sees a total eclipse, who sees a partial one and who sees none.In the $7 pack
In the pack
4. ReadThe Changing MoonA one-page text on why the Moon has phases and how eclipses happen, with eight questions.In the $7 pack
In the pack
5. CompareSolar Eclipse or Lunar Eclipse?Sort 14 facts into solar eclipse only, lunar eclipse only, or both.In the $7 pack
In the pack
6. ReviewMoon and Eclipses CrosswordFifteen Moon and eclipse words with clues and a word bank.In the $7 pack
In the pack
7. CheckMoon Phases and Eclipses QuizName four phases, six multiple choice and two written answers. Scored out of 12.In the $7 pack
Moon Phases and Eclipses worksheets, crossword and quiz
The Moon Phases and Eclipses teaching pack is 29 lesson slides (PowerPoint and PDF) and 13 printables with answer keys for grades 4 to 6, in the order you would teach them: the guided notes for the lesson slides, 6 diagram sheets, then “Read the Moon Phases Diagram” (a worksheet), “Read the Eclipse Diagram” (a worksheet), “The Changing Moon” (a reading passage), “Solar Eclipse or Lunar Eclipse?” (a Venn diagram), a vocabulary crossword and a quiz.
The sheets are in a suggested teaching order: teach the lesson, have students label the blank diagrams, then work through the practice sheets and finish with the quiz. Use them all over a week or pick the ones you need. The answer keys are together at the back.
The diagrams are free to download on this page. The other sheets come with the pack ($7), which is also in the Elementary Science bundle (grades 3 to 6).
The parts of a solar eclipse
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves directly between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth's surface and briefly blocking sunlight. Here is what happens at each labeled part of the diagram:
| Part | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | The star at the centre of our solar system, the source of the light that the Moon blocks during a solar eclipse. | The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also about 400 times further away — a remarkable coincidence that makes the Sun and Moon appear almost exactly the same size in Earth's sky. This near-perfect size match is the only reason total solar eclipses are possible: the Moon is just large enough to cover the Sun's disc completely, revealing the faint corona around the edges. |
| Moon | Earth's natural satellite, whose shadow falls on Earth during a solar eclipse. | The Moon's shadow has two parts: the umbra (the darkest, central cone where the Sun is completely blocked) and the penumbra (the larger, lighter outer cone where the Sun is only partially blocked). Because the Moon's orbit is slightly elliptical, its distance from Earth varies — when it is closer it appears larger and produces a total eclipse; when further away its disc is too small to cover the Sun entirely and it produces an annular ("ring of fire") eclipse instead. |
| Earth | The planet on which observers stand — the part of Earth under the umbra experiences a total eclipse. | During a total solar eclipse the Moon's umbra traces a narrow path across Earth's surface called the path of totality, typically only 100-160 km wide. Observers within this strip see the sky go dark in the middle of the day, stars appear, and the temperature drops noticeably. The entire path moves at supersonic speed as the Moon's shadow races across Earth, meaning totality at any single location lasts only a few minutes at most. |
| Umbra | The Moon's darkest shadow — people in the umbra see a total solar eclipse. | The umbra is a cone-shaped region where the Moon completely blocks the Sun. Its tip only just reaches Earth's surface because the Moon is close enough to block the full disc — if the Moon were slightly further away, the umbra would not reach Earth at all. Standing in the umbra during a total eclipse is the only safe time to look directly at the Sun, because the disc is completely covered and only the corona is visible. |
| Penumbra | The Moon's partial shadow — people in the penumbra see a partial solar eclipse. | The penumbra is the much larger outer shadow surrounding the umbra, where the Moon covers only part of the Sun. Observers in the penumbra see a partial solar eclipse — the Sun appears as a crescent as the Moon slides across it. Unlike total eclipses, partial eclipses are not safe to view with the naked eye: even a thin sliver of the Sun's disc is enough to cause permanent eye damage without proper solar filters. |
| Total Eclipse | The zone on Earth's surface where the umbra falls — the Sun is completely blocked. | Within the path of totality the sky darkens to a twilight-like dimness, the horizon glows orange in all directions, nocturnal animals sometimes begin their evening routines, and the Sun's outer atmosphere — the corona — blazes in a white halo that is normally invisible. Totality is the most dramatic natural spectacle visible from Earth's surface, which is why eclipse chasers travel thousands of miles to stand in the narrow path. |
| Partial Eclipse | The zone where the penumbra falls — the Sun is only partly covered. | A much larger area of Earth's surface experiences the partial eclipse than the total eclipse — the penumbra can be thousands of kilometres wide. Observers see the Moon progressively cover and then uncover the Sun over a period of roughly an hour on either side of totality (or maximum coverage for those outside the path). Pinhole projectors and certified eclipse glasses are the safe ways to watch a partial eclipse without risking eye damage. |
How to print
Choose Download PDF for a ready-to-print file that fits US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape, or Download PNG for the high-resolution image.
Frequently asked questions
What causes a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow on part of Earth's surface.
What is the difference between a total and a partial solar eclipse?
In a total eclipse the Moon completely covers the Sun (seen from within the narrow umbra path). In a partial eclipse the Moon only covers part of the Sun (seen from the wider penumbra region).
What paper size should I print this on?
The diagram is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape orientation. Use "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.
Are there Moon Phases and Eclipses worksheets to go with the diagram?
Yes. The Moon Phases and Eclipses teaching pack, for grades 4 to 6, has 29 lesson slides and 13 printables with answer keys: the guided notes for the lesson slides, 6 diagram sheets, then “Read the Moon Phases Diagram” (a worksheet), “Read the Eclipse Diagram” (a worksheet), “The Changing Moon” (a reading passage), “Solar Eclipse or Lunar Eclipse?” (a Venn diagram), a vocabulary crossword and a quiz. The diagrams are free to download on this page. The other sheets come with the pack ($7), which is also in the Elementary Science bundle (grades 3 to 6).