When we look at the moon, the light that we see is actually the light of the sun reflected by the moon. Half of the moon is always in sunlight and half is always in darkness. Even though half of the moon stays lit, or illuminated, by the sun, the moon appears to have different shapes on different nights. These shapes are called phases. Different phases occur because we see different amounts of the lighted half of the moon on different days. The more of the illuminated side of the moon we see, the larger the moon appears to be. The less of the illuminated side of the moon we see, the smaller the moon appears. For example, during the full moon phase, all of the lighted part of the moon is seen from Earth and the moon appears fully lit. During the new moon phase, when the whole moon appears very dark, only the non-lit part of the moon is visible to Earth. The names of all the phases of the moon are shown below.

Answer 1

The moon goes through several distinct phases in its approximately 29.5-day lunar cycle. Here are the main phases of the moon:

1. New Moon: The moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun, and its illuminated side is facing away from us. The moon appears dark in the sky.

2. Waxing Crescent: A small, crescent-shaped sliver of the moon becomes visible as it moves away from the new moon phase. More of the illuminated side starts to show.

3. First Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated by the sun, and we see this half from Earth. The illuminated portion is on the right side.

4. Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the moon is illuminated, but it’s not yet full. The illuminated portion increases as the moon continues its orbit.

5. Full Moon: The entire illuminated side of the moon is facing Earth, making it appear fully lit and bright in the night sky.

6. Waning Gibbous: After the full moon, the illuminated portion begins to decrease. More than half of the moon is still visible as it starts to wane.

7. Last Quarter (or Third Quarter): Half of the moon is illuminated again, but the illuminated side is now on the left side when viewed from Earth.

8. Waning Crescent: Only a small crescent of the moon is visible as it approaches the new moon phase again. The illuminated portion continues to shrink.

These phases represent the changing appearance of the moon as it orbits the Earth, influenced by the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon relative to each other.