Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Integrated Science (024) Practice Exam

Which phenomenon occurs approximately every six months and is related to the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun?

1. Solar eclipse

2. Lunar eclipse

3. Full moon

4. New moon

The correct answer is: Solar eclipse

The phenomenon that occurs approximately every six months and is related to the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun is a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the Sun's light and casting a shadow on the Earth. This alignment is necessary for a solar eclipse to occur, and because the orbits of the Earth around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth do not perfectly align all the time, solar eclipses happen periodically, roughly every six months. In contrast, lunar eclipses, which are another type of eclipse, occur when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon. While lunar eclipses also happen a few times each year, they do not have the same frequency as solar eclipses. The full moon and new moon are phases of the Moon's cycle that occur approximately every 29.5 days, independent of the specific alignments that lead to eclipses.