Eight Monthly Moon Phases Best Introduction As the moon revolves Earth and Earth orbits the Sun, reflected sunlight causes the moon to go through a series of phases that we refer to as the monthly or Eight Monthly moon lunar phases of the moon.
The Moon does not produce any of its own light; rather, it merely reflects sunlight back to us down here on Earth. This is the view that we have of the Moon.
This should not be confused with an eclipse. When the Moon travels through the shadow cast by the Earth, this phenomenon is known as an eclipse. This is known as a lunar eclipse, and it can only take place when there is a full moon.
Eight Monthly Moon Phases: Best IntroductionDuring the new moon, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves into a position where it is directly between the sun and earth.
Major eclipses are extremely uncommon due to the fact that the Moon’s orbit around Earth is not in the same direct line as Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This results in the Moon normally being slightly above or below the Earth. Although there are occasional partial eclipses that occur each year.
The Moon completes one orbit around Earth every approximately 27.3 days. That is travelling from one point in the sky to another location in the sky before arriving back at the original point.
Due to the fact that the Earth is also orbiting the Sun, it takes around 29.5 days for the Moon to complete one phase cycle and return to the same phase it was in previously (from new moon to new moon, or full moon to full moon, for example).
The 8 Phases Of The Moon
These are the eight phases of the moon that occur each month:
A new moon happens when the Moon is on the same side of the Earth as the Earth and is in a position where it is relatively near to the Sun. Due to the fact that it rises and sets so near to the sun, the moon cannot be seen at night.
Since there is no moonlight to interfere, this is an excellent time to enjoy stargazing from the comfort of your own garden.
The Waxing Crescent is a lunar phase that begins a few days after the new moon, when the moon has moved further away from the Earth and is once again visible in the sky.
The Moon is in its first quarter when it seems to be exactly half full. Following the new moon phase by approximately one week is the phase known as first quarter.
Waxing Gibbous The waxing gibbous phase of the moon occurs just before the full moon and occurs when almost all of the visible part of the moon is lit up.
The Moon and the Sun are on opposing sides of the Earth during a full moon, which results in a large and dazzling full moon. There is complete illumination of the Moon’s surface, which continues on throughout the night.
Waning Gibbous The waning gibbous phase of the moon occurs when the moon is getting closer to being full and shows practically the entire moon like the waxing gibbous phase does.
The Moon’s surface as seen from Earth during the last quarter represents the opposite half of the Moon as seen during the first quarter. This takes place approximately three weeks after the new moon.
Waning Crescent – As the new moon draws closer, the fading crescent indicates that the moon will soon only be seen as a sliver, in contrast to the waxing crescent.
The increasing brightness can be attributed to the growing size of the moon. The phase of the Moon that corresponds to fullness is drawing closer.
The opposite of the waxing moon is the waning moon. As the Moon progresses from its full phase into its new phase, the light that can be seen diminishes.
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