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The Short Answer: We have a slightly different view of the Moon each night. We describe how the Moon looks with the eight Moon phases, or shapes: π New. π Waxing Crescent. π First Quarter. π Waxing Gibbous. π Full. π Waning Gibbous. π Third Quarter. π Waning Crescent.
These shifts are called moon phases. The eight lunar phases are, in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days). Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
lunar phase, any of the varying appearances of the Moon as seen from Earth as different amounts of the lunar disk are illuminated by the Sun. The Moon displays eight phases: new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent.
A lunar phase or Moon phase is the apparent shape of the Moon's directly sunlit portion as viewed from the Earth (because the Moon is tidally locked with the Earth, the same hemisphere is always facing the Earth).
What are the Moon’s Phases? The Moon’s phases represent the changing appearance of the lunar disk from Earth’s perspective. There are eight distinct phases the Moon goes through.
There are eight main Moon phases: New Moon: This is when you can’t see the Moon easily at all, because the part that is illuminated by the Sun is on the side of the Moon pointing away from Earth. This phase happens when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth.
Moon phases refer to the different illuminated portions of the Moon’s surface visible from Earth as it orbits our planet. These phases result from the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, causing varying amounts of sunlight to reflect off the Moon’s surface throughout its lunar cycle.
The Moon has eight phases in a lunar month: four primary and four intermediate phases. A Moon cycle, or a lunation, is the time the Moon travels through its lunar phases. ©timeanddate.com
Sometimes we can only see a thin crescent. Other times the Moon seems to disappear entirely. As the bright parts of the Moon appear to change shape during the month, each stage of the change is called a phase, and each phase carries its own name. This chart shows why this happens.
As the bright parts of the moon appear to change shape during the month, each stage of the change is called a phase, and each phase carries its own name. This chart shows why this happens. The center ring shows the moon as it revolves around the Earth, as seen from above the north pole.