Lunar Phases

AW

Lunar Phases
If you watch the moon over
several days you will see that its
appearance changes. The changing
appearances, called phases, are due
to the different positions of the sun
and the moon. At different times of
the month the sun lights different
parts of the moon. It takes the
moon 28 days for it to revolve
around the Earth.

Day
11

First
Quarter

Waxing
Crescen
t
Day
7

S
Day
4

Waxing
Gibbous

U
New

Day
14

N
L

Day
1

Full
Day
17

Waning
Gibbous

Waning
Crescen
t
Third
Quarter

G
H

Day
24
Day
20

Day
11

First
Quarter

Waxing
Crescen
t
Day
7

S
Day
4

Waxing
Gibbous

U
New

Day
14

N
L

Day
1

Full
Day
17

Waning
Gibbous

Waning
Crescen
t
Third
Quarter

G
H

Day
24
Day
20

S
U
New

N
L
I
G
H
T

New Moon
Day 1
S
U
New

N
L
I
G

When the moon is between the Sun and

the Earth we can not see any of the lighted
side of the moon, the moon is dark. We call
this the New Moon.

H
T

Waxing
Crescent
Day 4

Waxing
Crescen
t

S
U
N
L
I
G

The amount of lighted surface seem

from Earth begins to grow. We now see
the moon as a Waxing Crescent.

H
T

First
Quarter

First Quarter
Day 7
S
U
N
L
I
G

When the moon reaches First Quarter

we see half of it lit.

H
T

Waxing
Gibbous
Day 11
Waxing
Gibbous

S
U
N
L
I
G

As the lighted portion grows we have a

Waxing Gibbous moon.

H
T

A Full Moon occurs when the moon

reaches the side of the Earth opposite
from the Sun.

S
U
N
L
I

Full

G
H
T

Full Moon
Day 14

Slowly less and less of the light side of

the moons can be seen. This is the Waning
Gibbous stage.

S
U
N
L
I
G
H
T

Waning
Gibbous

Waning
Gibbous

Three quarter of the way through the

moons cycle we have the Last Quarter
phase when half of the moon can be seen.

S
U
N
L
I
G
H
T

Third Quarter
Day 20

Third
Quarter

As a Waning Crescent the moon

diminishes to a thin sliver. Then it returns
to a New Moon after 29 days, or one lunar
month.

S
U
N
L
I
G
H

Waning
Crescent
Day 24

Waning
Crescen
t

As the moon revolves

around the Earth it
rotates on its own axis
at the same speed that
it revolves, this is why
the same side of the
moon faces the Earth
at all times.

Moonrise and Moonset

The moon rises and set every day,
appearing on the horizon just like the
sun. The time depends on the phase
of the moon. It rises about 30 to 70
minutes later each day than the previous
day, so the moon is out during day just
as it is out at night. At the time of the new moon, the
moon rises at the about the same time the sun rises, and
it sets at about the same time the sun sets. As the days
go by the moon rises later each day, and it sets later each
night. At the full moon, the moon rises at about the same
time that the sun is setting. The moon then sets the next
morning as the sun rises to start a new day.