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

are when the visible portion of the moon gets smaller.

3 answers

The moon goes through different phases depending on its position relative to the Earth and the Sun. The two main categories of moon phases are:

  1. Waxing Phases: These are the phases when the visible portion of the moon is getting bigger. This includes:

    • New Moon: The moon is between the Earth and the Sun, and the side that is illuminated is facing away from us.
    • Waxing Crescent: A small sliver of the moon becomes visible.
    • First Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated (the right half in the northern hemisphere).
    • Waxing Gibbous: More than half is illuminated, but it is not yet full.
    • Full Moon: The entire face of the moon is illuminated.

  2. Waning Phases: These are the phases when the visible portion of the moon is getting smaller. This includes:

    • Waning Gibbous: The moon starts to decrease in illumination, but more than half is still visible.
    • Last Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated (the left half in the northern hemisphere).
    • Waning Crescent: A small sliver of the moon remains visible as it approaches the new moon phase.

These cycles repeat approximately every 29.5 days.

The phases are when the visible portion of the moon gets bigger. The phases
are when the visible portion of the moon gets smaller.
 waxing  gibbous  crescent  waning

It looks like you're looking to categorize the moon phases based on whether they are waxing (getting bigger) or waning (getting smaller). Here's a breakdown:

Waxing Phases (Visible Portion Gets Bigger):

  1. Waxing Crescent: A small part of the moon becomes visible after the new moon.
  2. First Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated, and the visible portion continues to grow.
  3. Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the moon is illuminated as it approaches the full moon.
  4. Full Moon: The entire face of the moon is illuminated.

Waning Phases (Visible Portion Gets Smaller):

  1. Waning Gibbous: The moon starts to decrease after the full moon, but more than half is still visible.
  2. Last Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated, and the visible portion continues to decrease.
  3. Waning Crescent: A small part of the moon remains visible as it approaches the new moon.

So to summarize:

  • Waxing refers to the phases when the visible portion of the moon is increasing.
  • Waning refers to the phases when the visible portion of the moon is decreasing.

Let me know if you need more information!