Phases of Moon

Sun

• The moon has no light of its own- the light comes from the sun!
• The sun lights up the side of the moon it is facing!

Earth

• The moon orbits around the earth. The phases of the moon that are on the following slides are based on the how the northern hemisphere sees the moon.

New Moon

• Here is the new moon
• You cannot see any part of the moon because the sun isn't lighting up any part
• The moon will soon head towards the waxing crescent stage

Waxing Crescent

• This stage comes after the new moon
• You can only slightly see a part of the moon
• The part you can see makes a crescent shape

First Quarter

• This is when you can see half the moon.
• The moon is through its first quarter of the cycle or about 1/4 of a month.

Waxing Gibbous

• You can almost see the entire moon in this stage
• Soon it will be a full moon

Full Moon

• This is when you can see the entire side of the moon or a full circle
• This is when the moon is halfway through its cycle

Waning Gibbous

• This is the stage right after the full moon and it is heading towards a new moon
• You can see most of the moon except for a sliver of it

Third Quarter

• This is when you can see half of the moon.
• This half of the moon is the opposite half seen in the first quarter phase
• The moon is 3/4 of the way through the cycle

Waning Crescent

• This is when the moon is almost back to a new moon
• You can see only a sliver or crescent shape of the moon

New Moon

• The moon is back to being a new moon
• The moon cycle starts all over again

Sources of Information

• http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/moon/phases.html
• http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/oreo-moon/en/
• http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/staffdev/clough_d/DragDrop/MoonPhases.htm...