1. © A. Weinberg SOL 3.8 By Ms. Weinberg

2. © A. Weinberg When you look up in our night sky, you will see the moon! The way that the moon looks changes during the month. We say that the phases of the moon are a cycle in nature.

3. © A. Weinberg The Earth has 1 moon that revolves around the Earth. It is a satellite of Earth.

4. © A. Weinberg It takes 29 ½ days – almost 1 month – for the moon to move (revolve) around the Earth.

5. © A. Weinberg The moon does not make any light of its own. The lighted parts that we see are called phases. The moon reflects light from the sun.

6. © A. Weinberg As the moon moves (revolves) around the Earth, it looks like it has different shapes. The shape of the moon does not really change. It just changes its location in space.

7. © A. Weinberg Let’s take a closer look at the phases of the moon. During a new moon, the moon looks dark.

8. © A. Weinberg As the surface of the moon that we see gets bigger, we say that the moon is waxing. This is a waxing crescent.

9. © A. Weinberg When the moon is ¼ of the way around the earth, it is in its first quarter phase. We see it as half lit. This is a waxing quarter moon.

10. © A. Weinberg After the quarter moon, the moon is moving towards a full moon. We call this a waxing gibbous moon. Notice that the bright part of the moon is getting larger. That’s what we mean by “waxing.”

11. © A. Weinberg Now it’s time for a full moon. The entire face of the moon that we are able to see shines during the full moon.

12. © A. Weinberg Now that the moon is ¾ of the way around the Earth, it seems to be half lit. We call this a waning quarter moon.

13. © A. Weinberg Following the full moon, the surface of the moon seems to be getting smaller. We call this a waning moon. This is a waning gibbous moon.

14. © A. Weinberg Before we get to the new moon, we see a sliver of moon shining up in the sky. This is a waning crescent.

15. © A. Weinberg Now we see a new moon again. It takes the moon about 1 month (29 ½ days) to go through the phases

16. © A. Weinberg When it is summer in North America, we are tilted towards the rays of the hot, bright sun. Sun’s rays N S

17. © A. Weinberg When it is winter in North America, we are tilted away from the sun’s rays. N S Sun’s rays

18. © A. Weinberg The moon affects the oceans. The moon’s pull is called gravity. Gravity pulls on the oceans and causes the tides.

19. © A. Weinberg The location of the tides changes as the Earth rotates (spins).

20. © A. Weinberg Now you know about the moon and its phases. **Do you remember when a moon is waxing and when it is waning? **Do you know what causes the tides?

21. © A. Weinberg