Lesson 3 :Phases Of The Moon
Phases of the Moon
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon seems to change its shape in the night sky.This is caused by the different angles we see from the bright part of the Moon’s surface. This is called “phases” of the Moon. Of course , the Moon does not generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon goes through four major shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every 28 days.These phases follow the sequence of their occurrence.
New Moon- part of the Moon which is not illuminated faces the Earth. The Moon is not visible. The lighted side of the Moon faces away from the Earth.This means that the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are almost in a straight line, with the Moon in between the Sun and the Earth.
Crescent Moon- the Moon is less than half illuminated by the Sun. The fraction of the Moon’s disc that is illuminated increases. This Moon can be seen after the new Moon, but before the first quarter Moon. The crescent will grow larger and larger everyday, until the Moon looks like the first quarter Moon.
Half Moon – half of the illuminated side of the Moon is visible. The fraction of the Moon’s disc that is illuminated increases. The right half of the Moon appears lighted and the left side of the Moon appears dark.During the time between the new Moon and the first quarted moon, the part of the Moon that appears lighted gets larger everyday, and continues to grow until it reaches the full Moon.
Full Moon- The Moon’s illuminated side is visible. The lighted side of the Moon faces the Earth. This means that the Earth,the Sun, and the Moon are nearly in a straight line, with the Earth in the middle. The Moon that we see is very bright because it reflects sunlight.
