1. 1. Moon and Earth
2. 2. The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. From Earth we see the Moon grow from a thin crescent to a full disk (or full moon) and then shrink back to a thin crescent again before vanishing for a few days.
3. 3. The Moon phases are produced by the alignment of the Moon and the Sun in the sky. The lit part of the Moon always points the way to the Sun. What is the phase of the moon? The lunar phase is the amount of the Moon you can see from Earth depending on how much of it is lit up by the sun. This amount changes each day. What causes part of the Moon to be lit up? The moon is illuminated because it reflects the light from the sun. The part of the moon facing the sun is lit up. The part facing away from the sun is in darkness.
4. 4. What causes the different Moon? phases of the The phases of the Moon depend on its position in relation to the Sun and Earth. As the Moon makes its way around the Earth, we see the bright parts of the Moon's surface at different angles. These are called "phases" of the Moon. What are the different phases of the Moon called? The phases of the moon work in a cycle starting with the new moon. A complete cycle of the Moon's phases from new Moon to full Moon takes twenty nine and a half days. Did you know? Countries near the equator see the crescent moon shaped like a smile?
5. 5. The phases are named after how much of the moon we can see, and whether the amount visible is increasing, or decreasing each day. Phases of the moon as seen in the Northern Hemisphere Phases of the moon as seen in the Northern Hemisphere Phases of the moon as seen in the Southern Hemisphere It takes our Moon about 29.5 days to completely cycle through all eight phases. This is known as a Lunar month Why are the phases different in each hemisphere? The Moon orbits near the equator of the Earth. In the northern hemisphere, we're standing on the opposite side of the globe from countries in the southern hemisphere i.e. we are "upside down" from each other! We therefore see the Moon from a completely different vantage point from each other.
6. 6. The waxing crescent moon grows till it is about half full in the phase we call first quarter. From there it grows to full moon and then begins to shrink back to third quarter, waning crescent and finally back to new moon.
7. 7. Ss u n Waning crescent Last quarter (Half Moon) Waning gibbous Day 25 Day 21 Day 17 The Moon is 90 degrees west of the sun The images below show the different phases of the moon in one Lunar month for the Northern Hemisphere
8. 8. When the bright part is getting bigger, the Moon is waxing. When it is getting smaller, the Moon is waning. When the Moon is more than half-lit, it is called a gibbous Moon. When the moon is less than half-lit, it is called a crescent Moon.
9. 9. Show What You Know In your journals describe the eight phases of the moon. Include any real world connections you shared earlier. Analyze the differences between the moons appearance in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Explain why the moon appears different.