What is the difference between solar and lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens on the moon, when the moon sails through the Earth's wide, fat shadow. Then, for a while, no sunlight can reach the moon, because the Earth is in the way. Anybody on the night side of Earth who looks up toward the moon sees it turn dark, until it sails out of the Earth's shadow after an hour or two.

A solar eclipse happens on the Earth, when the narrow end of the moon's skinny shadow falls somewhere on the surface of the Earth. Then, people who are inside that small spot and look up toward the sun can't see it, because the moon is in the way. The moon is moving so fast, and its shadow is so small, that this can only last for a few minutes at any one place.