Phases of the Moon

Hanna AhumadaHolly Hansen

Information about the Phases

There are 8 different phases, but the Southern hemisphere sees it differently than the Northern hemisphere.

How the Southern hemisphere sees the phasesHow the Northern hemisphere sees the phases

It takes our Moon about 29.5 days to completely cycle through all eight phases. This is known as a Lunar month

New Moon

• Day 0• The Moon is lined up between the Earth and the Sun. We see

the side of the Moon that is not being lit by the Sun. In other words, we see no Moon at all, because the brightness of the Sun outshines the faint Moon.

Waxing Crescent

• Day 3• When the bright part is getting bigger, the

Moon is waxing.• When the moon is less than half-lit, it is called

a crescent Moon.

First Quarter

• Day 7• The Moon is 90 degrees east of the Sun.• It is called the first quarter because it is a

quarter of the way through the moon phase cycle.

Waxing Gibbous

• Day 10• When the Moon is more than half-lit, it is

called a gibbous Moon. • This moon phase comes between one and two

weeks after new moon.

Full Moon

• Day 14• The moon is 180 degrees from the sun.• The full moon is a lunar phase occurring when

the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun and all three bodies are aligned in a straight line.

Waning Gibbous

• Day 17• When it is getting smaller, the Moon is

waning. • The waning gibbous moon happens when the

moon is between a 90 and 135 degree angle with respect to the Earth and Sun.

Last Quarter

• Day 21• The Moon is 90 degrees west of the sun.• The Last quarter moon may at times serve as a

guide in determining the Earth’s direction in relation to the sun.

Waning Crescent

• Day 25• During a waning crescent, we can only see a

small piece on the left that is lit up.• The waning crescent Moon. The last quarter

takes us from a half moon back to a crescent moon, facing right, to a point where the moon disappears.