![]() Crescent refers to phases where the Moon is less than half-illuminated, while gibbous means more than half is illuminated. To remember the in-between phases you'll need to understand these terms: crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning. The illuminated part of the Moon gradually transitions between these phases. The "quarter" used to name these phases refers to the respective fraction of an orbit that the Moon has completed since new Moon. We see exactly half of the Moon illuminated by the Sun - the other half lies in shadow. Since the Sun is behind the Moon from Earth's perspective, the side of the Moon that faces Earth is dark.Īt full Moon, the three bodies also lie approximately in a line, but this time, the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth, so the Sun illuminates the whole side facing us.Īt first quarter and last quarter, the Moon lies perpendicular to a line between Earth and the Sun. The new Moon occurs when the Moon, Earth, and Sun all lie along approximately the same line. Since the Moon is tidally locked, we always see the same side from Earth, but there's no permanent "dark side of the Moon." The Sun lights up different sides of the Moon as it orbits around Earth – it's the fraction of the Moon from which we see reflected sunlight that determines the lunar phase. The Sun always illuminates one half of the Moon. The Moon doesn't make its own light, it just reflects the Sun's light as all the planets do. Instead, the Moon's phase depends only on its position relative to Earth and the Sun.įind tonight's Moon phase with our Interactive Phases of the Moon Tool! These are common misconceptions, but they're not true. ![]() ![]() Others think that the Moon changes shape due to clouds. ![]() Some people mistakenly believe the phases come from Earth's shadow cast on the Moon. We see the Moon go through a changing cycle of phases each month due to its orbital motion around Earth and the changing geometry with which we view it.īefore we describe the phases of the Moon, let's describe what they're not. ![]()
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