Moon phases

2. New moon

the side of the moon facing the Earth is not illuminated. The moon is up throughout the day, and down throughout the night. For these reasons we cannot see the moon during this phase.

5. Waxing gibbous

when most of the moon is visible we say it is a gibbous moon. Observers can see all but a little sliver of the moon. During this phase, the moon remains in the sky most of the night.

6. Full moon

when we can observe the entire face of the moon, we call it a full moon. A full moon will rise just as the evening begins, and will set about the time morning is ushered in.

11. Solar eclipse

occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, blocking sunlight from Earth. The moon's shadow then hits Earth.

12. Lunar eclipse

occurs at a full moon when Earth is directly between the moon and the sun.

1. Phases

Different shapes of the moon you see from Earth

10. Eclipse

caused when an object in space comes between the sun and a third object; it casts a shadow on that object.

8. Last quater

during a last quarter moon we can see exactly 1/2 of the moon's lighted surface.

9. Waning crescent

during a waning crescent moon, observers on Earth can only see a small sliver of the moon, and only just before morning. Each night less of the moon is visible for less time.

4. First quater

during first quarter, 1/2 of the moon is visible for the first half of the evening, and then goes down, leaving the sky very dark.

3. Waxing crescent

during this phase, part of the moon is beginning to show. This lunar sliver can be seen each evening for a few minutes just after sunset. We say that the moon is "waxing" because each night a little bit more is visible for a little bit longer.

7. Waning gibbous

like the waxing gibbous moon, during this phase, we can see all but a sliver of the moon. The difference is that instead of seeing more of the moon each night, we begin to see less and less of the moon each night. This is what the word "waning" means.