FBS JUNIOR STEAM EXPLORER
Topic: Solar Eclipse
Student Name:_________________________
Grade:_________________________
Welcome STEAM EXPLORER! You are a junior scientist who will first explore how the moon
can look like the same size as the sun. Then you will investigate how the moon causes a solar
eclipse with its shadow. There will be lots of videos that you can watch to learn more about
solar eclipses. By the end, you will be a solar eclipse expert that is ready for the eclipse taking
place in the United States on August 21st, 2017. Before you get started, you will need to find
another STEAM Explorer, older sibling, or adult to either complete the activities with you or
help you play the videos. Have fun exploring!
ACTIVITY I: HOW CAN THE MOON AND SUN LOOK LIKE THE SAME SIZE IN THE SKY?
Did you ever notice that sometimes when we see the faint image of the moon in the bright
blue sky during the day, the sun and moon can look like they are close in size? The reason for
this is that even though the sun’s size across its middle (the diameter) is 400 times bigger than
the moon’s middle (or diameter,) the sun is also 400 times farther away from the Earth. This
special relationship allows a solar eclipse to happen. During a solar eclipse, the moon can
completely cover our view of the sun because they appear to be the same size. When the
moon completely covers the sun, called totality, we can see the corona of the sun, the surface
of the sun. Here are two videos you can watch that explains how a solar eclipse happens.
1. http://nj.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.totaleclipse/total-solareclipse-animation/
2. http://nj.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.eclipse/solar-eclipses/
Now complete this activity to see how the moon and sun can appear to be the same size.
(Website: kidseclipse.com)
Materials Needed:
 1 big ball (beach ball or soccer ball)
 1 small ball (tennis ball, baseball, softball, or golf ball)
 3 explorers, including you
Step 1: One person holds up the large ball that represents the sun.
Step 2: A second person holds up the small ball that represents the moon. This person should
be about 6 feet or 6 steps in front of the sun.
Step 3: You are the third person and should stand in front of the second person holding the
moon. You are acting as a person on Earth.
Step 4: Both you and the person holding the sun should move away from the moon (the small
ball) until both the moon and sun look like the same size! When this happens, notice how far
you are from the moon and notice how far the sun is from the moon.
ACTIVITY 2: CREATE YOUR OWN ECLIPSE
This activity will help you understand how a solar eclipse works. You will need an older sibling
or adult to help you supervise the activity with the flashlight. (Website: kidseclipse.com)
Materials Needed:
 One grape (for the moon)
 One orange (for the Earth)
 One toothpick
 Some play dough or modeling clay
 A ruler
 Adult or older sibling with a flashlight
Step 1: Place the play dough on a table. Stick the toothpick in the modeling clay so that it can
stand upright. Then place the grape (or moon) on top of the toothpick so that it is 2 inches
high from the table.
Step 2: Place the orange (or Earth) on the table about 3 inches behind the grape (or moon.)
Step 3: Now have the adult or older sibling stand about 1 foot away on the other side of the
grape (or moon.) Have them shine the flashlight (or sun) at the grape (or moon.) You should
be able to see the shadow the moon casts on the Earth. There is a darker middle shadow and
a lighter outside shadow. The darker shadow is the umbra and the lighter shadow is the
penumbra. People on Earth in the umbra region will be able to see a total solar eclipse while
people in the penumbra region will see a partial solar eclipse.
Now draw a picture of your eclipse model. Make sure to label the different parts
of your model in your picture.
My Eclipse Model
Now that you have a better understanding of how a solar eclipse happens, here are two
websites that show you the path of this summer’s eclipse.
Path of the 2017 eclipse seen from the moon:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4321
Path of the 2017 eclipse in the United States:
http://www.space.com/35065-2017-total-solar-eclipse-visible-in-united-states-find-outwhere-video.html
This map shows the path of the umbra, or the dark shadow. All people in this path will get to
see a total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st, 2017
To experience what it is like to see a real solar eclipse, watch this beautiful video of the 2009
solar eclipse in Varanasi, India.
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=27559&CategoryID=2825