1/16/2024 0 Comments Gibbous moon![]() ![]() Percentage of Illumination: Zero to 50 percent.Percentage of Illumination: Zero percent.The moon is between Earth and the Sun, the moon shadow faces Earth. wanes).Īs mentioned above, the moon cycles through eight phases. The phases will then reverse where the visible area decreases (i.e. As the moon continues to orbit Earth, the visible area grows (i.e. This means our view of the illuminated portion of the moon changes as the moon orbits around Earth, working its way through the different moon phases.įor example, at the new moon phase, the moon is a complete shadow. The moon phase we see from Earth is the portion of the moon that is lit up by the Sun, which can range from zero-percent illuminated (new moon) to 100 percent illuminated (full moon).Ĭhanges in moon phases as the Moon orbits Earth based on sunlight | McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Centre What causes the Moon Phases?Īs mentioned above, the moon goes through a cycle of phases each month as it orbits Earth and each phase is dependent on the moon’s position in relation to the Sun. The near side of the Moon as seen from Earth. The amount of near side that is seen, depends on the amount of available sunlight. This orbit has been affected by the Earth’s gravitational pull which has helped to slow the moon’s orbit causing the moon and Earth to be synchronized.ĭue to this synchronization, we only ever see the ‘near side’ of the moon from Earth, which is only half of the lunar total surface. It takes the moon the same amount of time to orbit the Earth as it does to complete a full rotation on its axis (i.e. It may help to know a little about the moon’s orbit to understand what is happening during each of the moon phases. This widget was provided by, a website that includes many astronomy tools including a night sky guide and an interactive planetarium. ![]() You can also use the following tool to see the current moon phase for today’s date. This will tell you the current moon cycle for today’s date. To find out what the current moon phase is from your location, you can use Today’s Moon Phase from Moon Giant. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite sides appear to wax or wane. The above information is per the Northern Hemisphere. The moon phase shows the illuminated portion of the moon that is being lit by the Sun.Ī total of eight moon phases | Time and date Waning crescent: The final phase of the Moon is the waning crescent, which happens when only a small sliver of the Moon is visible (on the far side of the Moon’s visible surface, compared to the waxing crescent) before it disappears into the new Moon phase once again.The moon goes through a cycle of phases each month which changes our view of the moon based on its position in relation to Earth and the sun. The illuminated part is the half of the near side of the Moon that was not illuminated at first quarter. ![]() Third quarter: This is when half of the Moon’s illuminated surface is visible from Earth. During the waning gibbous phase, the Moon’s surface visible from Earth is still mostly illuminated. Waning gibbous: After the full Moon, the illuminated portion of the Moon visible from Earth begins to wane, or decrease in size. But every once in a while things line up so that it does go through the Earth’s shadow, and we get a lunar eclipse. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees, meaning sometimes it’s below our shadow and sometimes it’s above it. For the same reason we don’t have solar eclipses with every new Moon, we don’t get lunar eclipses with every full Moon. Waxing gibbous: When more than half of the Moon’s surface visible from Earth is illuminated, we call it a Gibbous Moon.įull Moon: When the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, we see the entire near-side of the Moon illuminated. This is the equivalent of saying we are seeing one-quarter of the total Moon’s surface illuminated, hence the rather confusing name. It takes a crescent shape because of the Moon’s roundness we only see the edge of the part that’s illuminated by the Sun, and that edge is on a round object so it appears curved.įirst quarter: This is when half of the Moon’s illuminated surface is visible from Earth. Waxing crescent: As it moves in its orbit, a small sliver of the Moon becomes visible. On average, a solar eclipse happens between two and five times each year. But sometimes it lines up directly with the Sun, and this creates a solar eclipse. Because the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees, it’s usually either above or below the Sun. This phase happens when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. 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. ![]()
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