1. by, Drew Harris

3. New Moon The first phase of the moon is new moon. It can’t be seen with the naked eye, so it’s basically just black like this.

4. Waxing Crescent The second phase of the moon has grown just a little bit since the new moon- just so much that you can see it.

5. Waxing and Waning If the moon says “waxing” it is still “growing.” If it says “waning” then it is “shrinking.” Waxing = on the right side Waning = on the left side

6. First Quarter The first quarter moon is the right half of a full moon. It comes after waxing crescent.

7. Waxing Gibbous The moon phase we call waxing gibbous is ¾ of the way full and it is still growing. We know this because, as I said earlier, “waxing” means growing.

8. Full Moon The full moon phase of the moon is the most commonly known phase. It is just a plain, whole moon.

9. Waning Gibbous Waning Gibbous is shrinking and has barely shrunk at all. It is the phase after Full Moon. It is a lot like Waxing Gibbous.

10. Third Quarter The Third Quarter Moon is like the First Quarter Moon. It’s basically like this. The dark side is light and the light side is dark.

11. Waning Crescent The moon phase Waning Crescent is basically the opposite of Waxing Crescent. What is on the right is on the left instead.

12. New Moon again? Then it goes back to New Moon and the process starts over. It takes approximately one month for us to see all the different moon phases.