Phases Of The Moon

Phases Of The Moon

The moon goes through a cycle of different shapes, known as phases, over approximately 29.5 days. These phases occur because the moon reflects sunlight, and as it orbits Earth, we see varying amounts of its sunlit side. 

There are eight main phases of the moon:

New Moon: The moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so the side of the moon that faces the Earth is dark.

Waxing Crescent: A small sliver of the moon becomes visible as it moves away from the new moon phase.

First Quarter: Half of the moon is visible, like a semicircle.

Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the moon is illuminated but not yet full.

Full Moon: The entire face of the moon is illuminated.

Waning Gibbous: After the full moon, the moon starts losing light, but more than half is still visible.

Last Quarter: Half of the moon is visible, but now it’s opposite from the first quarter.

Waning Crescent: A small sliver of the moon is visible before it returns to the new moon phase.

This cycle is called the lunar cycle.

 

Moon’s Impact On Tides

The moon’s phases play a big role in Earth’s tides, the regular rise and fall of the ocean’s water levels. 

The tides are mainly caused by the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans.

New Moon & Full Moon: 

During these phases, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned. This causes spring tides, where high tides are higher and low tides are lower than usual because the moon’s and sun’s combined gravity pulls on the ocean.

First Quarter & Last Quarter: 

During these phases, the moon and sun are at right angles to each other, leading to neap tides. Neap tides have weaker high and low tides because the moon’s pull partially cancels the sun’s pull.

 

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting facts about the moon’s phases:

• Many ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese, used lunar calendars, where each month began with the new moon.
• Important festivals and rituals were scheduled based on the moon’s phases. The lunar calendar determines Easter in Christianity and Ramadan in Islam.
• “Blue moon” is the second full moon in a calendar month.

 

Review

Let’s quickly recap what we learned about the moon’s phases:

• How many days does the lunar cycle last? 29.5 Days
• During which moon phases are the sun, moon, and earth aligned? New Moon & Full Moon
• Which phases of the moon cause neap tides? First Quarter & Last Quarter
• What phase comes after the new moon? Waxing Crescent