Phases/Eclipses/Tides Moon Phases/Eclipses/Tides

The Moon Earth has one moon, named Luna. The moon orbits (revolves around) the Earth once every 27 day. A lunar year is about 27 days. The moon also rotates on its own axis The moon rotates once every 27 days. A lunar year and ‘day’ are the same and because of this, we only see the one side of the moon’s face.

Moon Phases The moon does not make its own light, it reflects light from the sun. The moon like the Earth is a sphere. Half of the moon is reflecting light at all times, it is the side of the moon facing the sun (similar to the side of Earth facing sun has daylight). The phase of the moon that we see is the section of the lit half visible from Earth at night. http//www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2012.html

Review notes…pg 20-23 (The stuff you should know by now) Earth rotates (spins) and revolves (around the sun). The Moon rotates (spins) and revolves (around the Earth). Moons rotation and revolution both take about 29 days….so…we always see the same side of the moon. (We’ve never seen the far side.) Phases of the moon= how much of the sunlit side do we see from Earth

Moon’s Phases

New Moon Is when the sunlit side of the moon is facing AWAY from the Earth. We cannot see the lit side. The moon looks like a shadow in the nighttime sky.

Waxing Phases The moon starts at the New Moon and moves into positions where more and more of the sunlit side are visible. During the waxing phases, the visible part is “growing”. Waxing Crescent-less than half of the moon, but growing.

First Quarter (Half) Moon When the Moon is on the side of the Earth (a quarter way around) we can see ½ of the lit side of the moon.

Waxing Gibbous When the lit side is growing, past halfway, it is called the Gibbous phase.

Full Moon When the Moon is opposite the sun, with the Earth in between, we are able to see the whole lit side of the moon.

Waning Moon Phases One the whole lit side is visible, the moon continues to move in its orbit around the Earth. Less and less of the lit side will be visible each night until the New Moon. Waning Gibbous Phase Getting smaller More than half

Waning Half & Waning Crescent Soon the moon will move in orbit so none of the lit side will be visible….the New Moon

Moon’s Phases-A short NASA video http://www.archive.org/details/NasaSciFiles-MoonPhases