What does it exactly do?

Eclipse: Celestial shadow is a tool that provides information and resources related to solar and lunar eclipses. This game is aimed at young people and teenagers, making it a highly effective educational tool. It provides information about what an eclipse is, how they occur, and why they are important in an accessible and engaging manner. The game initially presents a dialogue between two children who are talking about the upcoming eclipse.

At some point, there are speculations about this phenomenon. An astronaut introduces herself and offers to teach the kids about the interesting facts related to this event. After choosing a character, they embark on a knowledge adventure through space. This is an excellent way to spark the interest of these young individuals in astronomy and science in general.

At the end of this adventure, we develop a question and answer section. The answers will be objective (true or false). These questions are designed to help remember what was learned during the space adventure and to stimulate the curiosity of the young players.

An eclipse is the partial or total darkening of a celestial body caused by the interposition of another celestial body. The most common and well-known eclipses are those of the Sun and the Moon.

In summary, the visibility of an eclipse depends on Earth's geographical position, the size of the shadows cast by celestial bodies, and the continuous movement of these bodies in space. Therefore, only some people on Earth can witness an eclipse at a specific moment, while other regions do not experience the phenomenon.

The sun, Earth, and moon interact in a complex ballet of movements and forces. The moon orbits the Earth once a month, and the Earth orbits the sun once a year. This occurs because all massive bodies in the universe attract each other. Earth's gravitational pull keeps the moon in orbit, and the sun's gravitational pull keeps the Earth in orbit.

Solar eclipses occur much less frequently than lunar eclipses as they require a very specific alignment to happen, making them quite rare compared to their counterpart; lunar eclipses can occur around two to four times a year, depending on the part of the Earth you are located, whereas solar eclipses tend to happen no more than once every 18 months.

Scientists can predict when and where eclipses will occur because of our understanding of Earth's orbit around the Sun and the Moon's orbit around Earth, based on Kepler's and Newton's laws of planetary motion. These accurate predictions enable people to know when and where solar and lunar eclipses will happen, providing opportunities to observe these astronomical phenomena.

A lunar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon, partially or completely blocking the arrival of light to the lunar surface.

It happens at least twice a year during the full moon phase. For an eclipse to occur, all three celestial bodies must be aligned, which is due to the difference in the lunar and terrestrial orbits.

During the eclipse, the Moon enters the Earth's shadow. When it is in the umbra region, the eclipse is total. In the penumbra region, where the shadow is weaker, it is called a penumbral eclipse. An eclipse is partial when only part of the Moon is in the Earth's shadow.

Eclipse cycles are called Saros and have a duration of approximately 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours.

A solar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the Moon positions itself between the Sun and the Earth, casting its shadow onto the planet.

It has a variable duration ranging from a few seconds to 7.5 minutes and is observed during the new moon phase, happening on average twice a year.

Observing a solar eclipse must be done with special eye protection. It is mandatory to use a designated filter; regular items like sunglasses, X-ray films, or photographic negatives should not be used.

The next solar eclipse visible in Brazil will occur on October 14, 2023.

An eclipse season is a period in which a series of solar and lunar eclipses occur within a few weeks to several months, due to the orbital movements of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. During these seasons, multiple solar and lunar eclipses happen in quick succession, separated by intervals of a few weeks or months. These events can include penumbral, partial, or total lunar eclipses, as well as partial or total solar eclipses. Astronomers and space enthusiasts eagerly anticipate these seasons as they provide opportunities to observe and study these celestial phenomena. During these periods, scientists conduct detailed observations to learn more about the celestial bodies involved and the phenomena occurring during the eclipses.

In summary, eclipse seasons occur approximately every six months due to the inclination of Earth's and Moon's orbits, resulting in favorable alignments for solar and lunar eclipses at regular intervals.

How does it work?

This game was developed with the goal of demystifying the difficulties in learning about eclipses (lunar and solar).

In an interactive and educational environment, children and teenagers can learn how these astronomical events occur. After the user registers with name, email and password, they will get to know our characters: Juan, Maria and Lyra Eclipsion.

Right after, users can choose one of our avatars (Maria and Juan) to start this incredible adventure with us.

The player will have the opportunity to learn about eclipses through questions and answers asked by the protagonists of the story.

At the end of the game, players can test their knowledge by answering a true or false quiz on the topic.

After a long space journey of learning, the player will be able to restart the story and travel again!

After a long space journey of learning, the player will be able to restart the story and travel again!

What benefits does it have?

Active learning about eclipses
Everyone can play and learn
Stimulation of creativity
Contextualization of the content
Improvement in cognitive skills
Entertainment

What do you hope to achieve?

Democratization of the study of eclipses
Contribution to the dissemination of scientific studies among children and young people

What tools, coding languages, hardware, or software did you use to develop your project?

Canva
Chat GPT

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