Gerald keeps a journal of Moon phases for a homework assignment. His sketches of how the Moon appeared on three different clear nights are shown below. Based upon Gerald's drawings, it appears that the Moon is waning.

Answer 1

In lunar phases, "waning" refers to the period when the visible portion of the Moon's illuminated surface is decreasing. If Gerald's sketches indicate that the Moon is waning, it means that he observed the Moon in a phase such as the Waxing Gibbous transitioning to Last Quarter or Waxing Crescent turning into New Moon.

In this case, you would typically see the following characteristics in the drawings:

1. Full Moon: Completely illuminated, but the next phase will mark the transition into waning.
2. Waning Gibbous: Just after the Full Moon, a large portion of the Moon is still visible, but it's beginning to shrink.
3. Last Quarter: Half of the Moon is visible, and the illuminated part is decreasing.
4. Waning Crescent: Less than half of the Moon is illuminated, continuing to dwindle until it reaches New Moon, where the Moon is not visible at all.

If Gerald's drawings show these characteristics, it indeed supports the conclusion that the Moon is waning. To provide more accurate feedback or explanations, it would be helpful to have details or descriptions of his sketches for further clarification.