lunar cycle vs lunar eclipse?

Question

Can someone explain the difference between a lunar eclipse and the normal shading of the moon during the lunar cycle?

Answer 1

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth. The sun is on one side of the earth and the moon is on the opposite side.
The normal shading of the lunar cycle is a shadowing caused by the moon itself and does not depend on where the earth is. As the moon moves in its orbit, half of the moon is facing the sun. The half that is not facing the sun is dark and in the shadows. The half of the moon that is in the shadow slowly rotates around the moon as the moon revolves around the earth.
During the New Moon phase, the far side of the moon is lighted and the near side of the moon is in shadow and that is why we can't see a New Moon. During the First Quarter and Third Quarter phases, half the near side is facing the sun and half the near side is facing away from the sun and is in shadow. That is why we only see half the moon. In the Full Moon phase, all of the near side of the moon is facing the sun and is lighted (unless it is in eclipse from the earth's shadow) and all of the far side is in the moon's shadow.

Answer 2

If I have a basketball, and someone shines a light on it, it'll have a shadow, and that's what we see in the moon normally. On the other hand, if YOU got in front of the light so that you're blocking it, and the ball looks dark, that'd be like a lunar eclipse.