what happens during a total lunar eclipse ?
Earth's shadow falls on the moon. The Earth is actually passing between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the sunlight that would normally be reflected off the lunar surface.
As the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, all of part of it becomes dark. But there is still some sunlight refracted by the Earth's atmosphere that passes into the shadowed area. This often causes the Moon to appear a deep red color during a total lunar eclipse.