My+Moon

Kelly Walker: My Moon: Moon Puzzle:

Moon Quiz:

Moon Phases: The moon travels west to east, the rotation of the earth makes it appear it is traveling east to west.

Moon Essay: The four major moon phases are "New", "1st Quarter", "Full" and "Last or 3rd Quarter". These phases have to do with the positions of the sun, the moon and the earth in the moon's 29 day monthly orbit of the earth. New Moon-The Moon’s unilluminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon, at this time, is not visible (except during a solar eclipse). The lighted side of the Moon faces away from the dark Earth. This means that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are almost in a straight line, with the Moon in between the Sun and the Earth. As we can see, the Moon looks very dark. The Waxing Crescent Moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is increasing. This Moon can be seen after the New Moon, but before the First Quarter Moon. The Crescent will grow bigger and bigger every day, until it looks like the First Quarter Moon. The Waxing Gibbous Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The illuminated part of the Moon increases. It grows larger every day. You can see this Moon after the First Quarter Moon, but before the Full Moon. (“Waxing” means increasing, or growing larger.) When you look at the Full Moon, the lighted side faces the Earth. The Moon is completely lit up at this time. The lighted side of the Moon faces the Earth. This means that the Earth, Sun, and Moon are nearly in a straight line, with the Earth in the center. The Moon as we see it, it is very bright from the sunlight reflecting off of it. The Waning Gibbous Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The side of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is decreasing. This Moon can be seen after the Full Moon and before the Last Quarter Moon. The amount of the Moon that we can see will grow smaller every day. (“Waning” means decreasing, or growing smaller.) The Waning Crescent Moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct sunlight. The part of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is decreasing. This Moon can be seen after the Last Quarter Moon and before the New Moon. The Moon has a process that is always going, but changes constantly. The Moon never stays on one phase for more than an instance in time. Starting with a New Moon on day one, and ending with a waning crescent on day 29, the Moon’s light shape and intensity is always changing. The Moon reaches a major phase every seven days after the New Moon. The first of which is the first quarter moon occurs after 7.4 days. Between the New and First Quarter Moon is the time of the waxing crescent moon. 14.8 days around the Earth we see a Full Moon, but not before the waxing gibbous is seen. After the Full Moon a state of waning begins on the 15th day. Along with a last quarter moon both a waning gibbous and crescent moon is visible before a new moon cycle starts on the 29th day. The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. This is caused by the different angles from which we see the bright part of the Moon's surface. These are called "phases" of the Moon. Of course, the Moon doesn't generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon passes through four major shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every 29.5 days. The phases always follow one another in the same order. The Moon’s phases are continuous and always changing every day.