Question
What are the 7 phases of the moon
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The moon goes through a series of phases as it orbits the Earth, which are typically divided into eight distinct stages. Here are the phases of the moon:
1. **New Moon**: The moon is between the Earth and the Sun, making it invisible to us.
2. **Waxing Crescent**: A small sliver of the moon begins to be illuminated as it moves away from the new moon phase.
3. **First Quarter**: Half of the moon is illuminated. This is the point where the moon is a quarter of the way through its cycle.
4. **Waxing Gibbous**: More than half of the moon is illuminated, but it's not yet full.
5. **Full Moon**: The entire face of the moon is illuminated and visible from Earth.
6. **Waning Gibbous**: The illumination begins to decrease, but more than half of the moon is still lit.
7. **Last Quarter (or Third Quarter)**: Again, half of the moon is illuminated, but it’s the opposite side compared to the first quarter.
8. **Waning Crescent**: A small sliver remains illuminated as the moon approaches the new moon phase again.
These eight phases represent the cyclical nature of the moon's visibility from Earth over approximately 29.5 days, known as a lunar month.
1. **New Moon**: The moon is between the Earth and the Sun, making it invisible to us.
2. **Waxing Crescent**: A small sliver of the moon begins to be illuminated as it moves away from the new moon phase.
3. **First Quarter**: Half of the moon is illuminated. This is the point where the moon is a quarter of the way through its cycle.
4. **Waxing Gibbous**: More than half of the moon is illuminated, but it's not yet full.
5. **Full Moon**: The entire face of the moon is illuminated and visible from Earth.
6. **Waning Gibbous**: The illumination begins to decrease, but more than half of the moon is still lit.
7. **Last Quarter (or Third Quarter)**: Again, half of the moon is illuminated, but it’s the opposite side compared to the first quarter.
8. **Waning Crescent**: A small sliver remains illuminated as the moon approaches the new moon phase again.
These eight phases represent the cyclical nature of the moon's visibility from Earth over approximately 29.5 days, known as a lunar month.