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Well - the moon constantly orbits the Earth. The sun shines on both the moon and Earth at the same time. As the moon moves around the Earth, different parts of it appear illuminated from our perspective, as it makes it's way around. When the moon is between us and the sun, we can't see it! The sun's glare makes it impossible to see - UNLESS it completely blocks the sun - then we have what's called a solar eclipse. But that's very rare, since the path of the moon is about 5˚ "off" from that of the sun (the ecliptic).

As the moon moves EAST away from the sun, we begin to see a thin slice of it - the side that faces the sun. This is called a "waxing" crescent. (waxing means getting bigger). The moon continues to move EAST and about a week after the crescent, it's now a half lit, first quarter moon. Continuing it's EASTWARD journey, a week after THAT, it's now opposite the sun - Earth is now between the Sun and moon - and it's completely illuminated, from our perspective - a FULL MOON.

As it continues to appear to move EAST through the night sky, it's actually moving back toward the Sun and it get's smaller again - or it "wanes". About two weeks after the full moon, the moon is once again between Earth and the Sun and we can't see it, due to the Sun's glare - what we call the New Moon..... and the cycle begins again.

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Q: How does the earth moon and sun cause phases of the moon?
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Related questions

The of the earth sun and moon cause the phases of the moon and eclipses?

yes


Is the earths orbit around the sun a cause of the phases of the moon?

No. The moon's orbit around the earth is.


What is the cause of the different phases of the moon?

That's caused by the motions of Earth-Moon system around the Sun and Moon around the Earth.


Does the earths rotation cause the Moon's phases?

Not only the earth's rotation , the lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth.


How the phases of the moon are created?

The phases of the moon are created by the relative position of the moon, to the earth, to the sun.


How are phases of the moon are created?

The phases of the moon are created by the relative position of the moon, to the earth, to the sun.


How are the phases of the moon created?

The phases of the moon are created by the relative position of the moon, to the earth, to the sun.


What is the process that causes the moon to change phases?

The moon changes phases because different portions of the moon are illuminated by the sun, as seen by observers on Earth. The angle formed by the sun, the Earth, and the moon, is constantly changing as the Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the Earth.


Are the moon phases predictable why or why not?

Moon phases are predictable because the Moon orbits the Earth and the Sun reflects off the Moon.


Does the moon go through phases because of the Earth's shadow on the moon?

NO. That's a misconception. Only the half of the Moon that is facing the Sun at any particular time is sunlit. We see varying amounts of that hemisphere as the Moon orbits Earth. That is the cause of the Moon's phases.


What 2 factors cause the moon to have phases Please inform me of what these are.?

The moon has many different phases that it goes through multiple times throughout the year. The two factors that cause these phases are its position in relation to the Earth's shadow. The second one is the position of the sun in relation to the moon.


What is the effect of the sun's light shining on the moon?

The effect is that we see the phases of the moon here on Earth. The reason for different phases is the angle and position of the sun and moon.