1. Earth’s Moon

2. The moon is the largest object in the night sky. Did you know? The moon is the only “Natural” satellite of Earth. It is 240,000 miles from Earth. The moon orbits around Earth.

3. Why does the moon look different throughout the month? The moon seems to change shape as different amounts of the moon are lit by the sun. As more sunlight hits the moon, more light is reflected to Earth. These changing views of the moon are called phases. The amount of sunlight the moon reflects changes a little each night.

4. Changing Phases As the moon revolves around the Earth, we can see different amounts of the moon’s lighted part.

5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

6. New Moon When the Moon is roughly in the same direction as the Sun, its illuminated (lit) half is facing away from the Earth, and therefore the part that faces us is all dark (unlit). When in this phase, the Moon and the Sun rise and set at about the same time.

7. Waxing Crescent As the Moon moves around the Earth, we get to see more and more of the illuminated half, and we say the Moon is waxing. At first we get a sliver of it, which grows as days go by. This phase is called the crescent moon.

8. First Quarter When the moon has completed about a quarter of its turn around the Earth, we can see half of the illuminated part.

9. Waxing Gibbous Moon We keep seeing more and more of the illuminated part of the Moon. This is called waxing gibbous.

10. Full Moon Two weeks after the new moon, the moon is now halfway through its revolution. Now the illuminated half coincides with the one facing the Earth. We have a full moon. At this time the Moon rises at the time the Sun sets, and it sets when the Sun rises. If the Moon happens to align exactly with the Earth and Sun, then we get a lunar eclipse.

11. Waning Gibbous Moon From now on, until the moon becomes new again, the illuminated part of the moon that we can see decreases We say it's waning. The first week after full a full moon, it is called waning gibbous.

12. Last (Third) Quarter Moon  Three weeks after the new moon, we again can see half of the illuminated part.  This time it is visible on the left part of the moon.

13. Waning Crescent Moon FFinally, during the fourth week, the Moon is reduced to a thin sliver. TThis is called the waning crescent moon. TThe lit sliver is on the left side of the moon.

14. LET’S REVIEW

15. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous Last (Third) Quarter Waning Crescent