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Phases of The Moon

The document describes the phases of the Moon as observed from Earth, detailing how the illuminated side changes due to the Moon's rotation and orbit around Earth. It outlines each phase, from New Moon to Waning Crescent, explaining the visibility and position of the Moon in relation to the Sun and Earth. The phases include specific characteristics, such as rising and setting times, and the amount of the illuminated side visible to observers.

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raja30.jesus
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30 views13 pages

Phases of The Moon

The document describes the phases of the Moon as observed from Earth, detailing how the illuminated side changes due to the Moon's rotation and orbit around Earth. It outlines each phase, from New Moon to Waning Crescent, explaining the visibility and position of the Moon in relation to the Sun and Earth. The phases include specific characteristics, such as rising and setting times, and the amount of the illuminated side visible to observers.

Uploaded by

raja30.jesus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Like Earth, the Moon has a day side

and a night side, which change as


the Moon rotates. The Sun always
illuminates half of the Moon while
the other half remains dark, but how
much we are able to see of that
illuminated half changes as the
Moon travels through its orbit.
Let’s take a look at the individual
phases, and how the movements of
the Moon and Sun appear to us as
we watch from the Northern
Hemisphere on Earth:
Ÿ

New Moon

This is the invisible phase of the


Moon, with the illuminated side of
the Moon facing the Sun and the
night side facing Earth. In this
phase, the Moon is in the same part
of the sky as the Sun and rises and
sets with the Sun. Not only is the
illuminated side facing away from
the Earth, it’s also up during the
day! Remember, in this phase, the
Moon doesn’t usually pass directly
between Earth and the Sun, due to
the inclination of the Moon’s orbit. It
only passes near the Sun from our
perspective on Earth.
Ÿ Waxing Crescent

This silver sliver of a Moon occurs


when
the illuminated half of the Moon
faces mostly away from Earth, with
only a tiny portion visible to us from
our planet. It grows daily as the
Moon’s orbit carries the Moon’s
dayside farther into view. Every day,
the Moon rises a little bit later.

First Quarter

The Moon is now a quarter of the


way through its monthly journey and
you see half of its illuminated side.
People may casually call this a half
moon, but remember, that’s not
really what you’re witnessing in the
sky. You’re seeing just a slice of the
entire Moon ― half of the
illuminated half. A first quarter moon
rises around noon and sets around
midnight. It’s high in the sky in the
evening and makes
for excellent viewing.

Ÿ Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the Moon’s dayside


has come into view, and the Moon
appears brighter in the sky.

Full Moon

This is as close as we come to


seeing the Sun’s illumination of the
entire day side of the Moon (so,
technically, this would be the real
half moon). The Moon is opposite
the Sun, as viewed from Earth,
revealing the Moon’s dayside. A full
moon rises around sunset and sets
around sunrise.
The Moon will appear full for a
couple of days before it moves
into…

Waning Gibbous

As the Moon begins its journey back


toward the Sun, the opposite side of
the Moon now reflects the Moon’s
light. The lighted side appears to
shrink, but the Moon’s orbit is simply
carrying it out of view from our
perspective. The Moon rises later
and later each night.
Ÿ

Last Quarter
The Moon looks like it’s half
illuminated from the perspective of
Earth, but really you’re seeing half
of the half of the Moon that’s
illuminated by the Sun ― or a
quarter. A last quarter moon, also
known as a third quarter moon,
rises around midnight and sets
around noon.

Waning Crescent

The Moon is nearly back to the


point in its orbit where its dayside
directly faces the Sun, and all that
we see from our perspective is a
thin curve

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