Question

The Response area phases are when the visible portion of the moon gets bigger. The Response area phases are when the visible portion of the moon gets smaller.

Answer 1

It seems you might be referring to the lunar phases, which can be categorized based on the visibility of the moon's illuminated portion as viewed from Earth. Here's a brief explanation:

1. **Waxing Phases** (Response area phases when the visible portion of the moon gets bigger):
- **Waxing Crescent**: The visible illumination is growing, and less than half of the moon is illuminated.
- **First Quarter**: Half of the moon's surface is illuminated, and the visible portion continues to increase.
- **Waxing Gibbous**: More than half of the moon is illuminated, but it is not yet a full moon.
- **Full Moon**: The entire face of the moon is illuminated.

2. **Waning Phases** (Response area phases when the visible portion of the moon gets smaller):
- **Waning Gibbous**: The visible illumination begins to decrease, with more than half illuminated.
- **Last Quarter**: Half of the moon's surface is illuminated, but the visible portion is decreasing.
- **Waning Crescent**: The visible illumination is less than half and continues to shrink.

These phases result from the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth.