Can someone explain the phases of the moon?

Question by Layla: Can someone explain the phases of the moon?
For science we are doing a project and I don't understand can you explain the lunar calendar?
does it change from waxing cresent to 1st quarter in one day? How lond is the cycle?


Best answer:
Answer by StimpyFirst all of the phases are caused by the moon orbiting the earth.

Lets start with a full moon. When the moon is full the lit side of the moon is facing the earth. This happens when the earth is between the moon and the sun.

The opposite of this is new moon, the lit side of the moon is facing away from the earth. This happens when the moon is between the earth and the sun.

Now that you know New and Full moons lets go in order. Remember all of these changes are caused by the moon orbiting the earth.

1) New Moon -we see nothing the moon is up near the sun from our point of view.

2) Waxing crescent- This is always to the left of the sun. Most of the lit face is away from the earth but a little crescent shaped slice is visible to us.

3) First Quarter- Half of the lit face is visible and half is not. The moon has now moved from being between the earth and the sun to a point one quarter of the way around its orbit.

4) Waxing Gibbous- more and more of the face towards us is lit as the moon moves to a point opposite the sun.

5) Full Moon- the earth is between the moon and sun so the face towards us is completely lit.

6) Waning Gibbous - the moon is now moving back towards the point between the earth and sun, so the face towards us is less and less lit.

7) last quarter - the moon is 3/4 of the way around the earth

8) wanning crescent- the moon is almost between the earth and sun again.

9) new moon again.

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