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.

1 answer

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.