MTTC Missed Topics Practice Test 2026 - Free MTTC Practice Questions and Study Guide

A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon is full and Earth lies directly between the Sun and the Moon, so Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon. The Moon then passes through Earth's shadow, which can make it look dark and sometimes give it a reddish color because sunlight filtered through Earth's atmosphere is bent into the shadow. This specific alignment is why a lunar eclipse occurs. The other ideas aren’t accurate: a lunar eclipse doesn’t require the Moon to be new, it isn’t about moving into the Sun’s glare (that describes a solar eclipse), and sunlight isn’t limited to certain latitudes for illumination—the eclipse depends on the Sun–Earth–Moon alignment, not geographic latitude.