The four major moon phases are: full, first quarter, new, and third quarter.
The right half of the moon is illuminated.
The four phases of the moon are new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. During the new moon, the moon is not visible from Earth; first quarter marks the half-illuminated phase; full moon is when the entire face of the moon is illuminated; and last quarter also shows a half-illuminated phase but on the opposite side from the first quarter.
New Moon.
The phase of the Moon that comes immediately before the new Moon phase is the waning crescent phase.
The phase of the moon that follows the waning gibbous phase is the third quarter phase. During this phase, half of the moon is illuminated, and it appears as a half-moon. The third quarter occurs roughly a week after the full moon and signifies the moon's transition towards the new moon phase.
New moon, first quarter, full moon and third quarter
A waxing Moon can be seen when the Moon is larger in the sky, and is moving from the new Moon phase, and into the full Moon phase. A waning Moon is seen when the Moon is visibly smaller in the sky, and is moving from the full Moon phase, and into the new Moon phase.
The phase of the Moon that occurs when it is three-quarters full just before the full Moon phase is the waxing gibbous phase. This phase occurs as the Moon is waxing, or growing larger, towards the full Moon.
New Moon Phase
In the new Moon phase.
New Moon Phase
The moon phases follow a predictable cycle, moving from new moon to full moon and back. In the next four weeks, you can expect to see a progression starting with a new moon, followed by a waxing crescent, a first quarter, a waxing gibbous, reaching a full moon about two weeks in. After the full moon, it will transition to a waning gibbous, then a last quarter, and finally a waning crescent before returning to the new moon phase.