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:
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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.
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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.