enclips
The moon looks like it changes shape because as it orbits the Earth and we only see one side of the moon, sunlight hits the part of the moon that we see at different angles - therefore making the moon "change shape". We also can only see the sunlit side of the moon from Earth and that is also another factor to the moon's apparent shape.
What changes from days to day is the amount of sunlight we see on the moon. As the moon orbits the earth and the earth orbits the sun, the sun hits the moon at a different angle in relation to the earth.
Technically, the shape of the moon never changes. What changes is what we saw on Earth. The shape we see depends on the alignment of the Moon, Earth, and Sun.
cuz The moon's apparent "shape" changes because as it orbits the Earth, the light from the sun hits it at different angles causing observers on Earth to see "different shaped moons". The moon really is always a sphere.
The moon reflects sunlight and it orbits out planet, Earth, so we see the reflected sunlight at different angles on the moon, causing the appearance of the moon to change.
The moon supposedly "changes shape" all the time, as the moon is constantly orbiting the Earth however the moon doesn't actually change shape, it is the amount of the sunlit side of the Earth that we see changing.
the different shapes are called phases and they change as the moon moves round the earth and therefore changes the distance from the sun so the dark part is the shadow of the moon and the part you can see is the part in the sunlight.Additional answerThe moon doesn't actually change shape. You may be asking why it sometimes looks round, at other times, crescent shaped. It's not changed shape, it's that you can only see part of it, and different parts at different times. When the position of the moon, earth and sun are such that they are in that order, the whole side of the moon that's towards the earth is lit by the sun and we see it as a round shape. But usually the earth is not exactly in between the moon and the sun, but a bit offset. We then see part of the moon that's not lit as well as part that is. The part that is varies in its apparent shape depending on just how much of it we can see. If most of what we can see is unlit, the lit bit looks like a slim crescent.Also, the phases do not change as the moon moves round the earth but how its relationship with the sun and earth changes
There is always a moon - it is our satellite, and is always visible somewhere. The moon "shape" is caused by the sunlight shining on it, and we see different lighted areas depending on where the moon is in relation to the earth.
The moon does not change shapes. The shadow of the earth on the moon changes how much of it you can see.Another viewpoint: I think this question is about the "phases" of the Moon.The Moon only appears to change shape during its different phases.Exactly one half of the Moon is in sunlight at any time. The phases occur because the Moon orbits Earth. That causes us to see different amounts of the sunlit Moon, and so its shape seems to change.
Every month as the Moon cycles through its phases it appears to change shape. The Moon always has the same spherical shape, but stargazers on Earth see different fractions of the dark and illuminated portions of the Moon as the Moon orbits Earth. The common urban myth that Earth's shadow falling on the Mooncauses lunar phases is incorrect.
Erm, sentence fragment! It is always the same shape, it just phases. This is when the earth is blocking the sunlight from getting to the moon, and so shadows fall on it, making it appear to change shape. Please learn some grammar.
the different shapes are called phases and they change as the moon moves round the earth and therefore changes the distance from the sun so the dark part is the shadow of the moon and the part you can see is the part in the sunlight.Additional answerThe moon doesn't actually change shape. You may be asking why it sometimes looks round, at other times, crescent shaped. It's not changed shape, it's that you can only see part of it, and different parts at different times. When the position of the moon, earth and sun are such that they are in that order, the whole side of the moon that's towards the earth is lit by the sun and we see it as a round shape. But usually the earth is not exactly in between the moon and the sun, but a bit offset. We then see part of the moon that's not lit as well as part that is. The part that is varies in its apparent shape depending on just how much of it we can see. If most of what we can see is unlit, the lit bit looks like a slim crescent.Also, the phases do not change as the moon moves round the earth but how its relationship with the sun and earth changes