A lunar month, or 28 days, consists of the following phrases of the moon in order: New moon, waxing gibbous, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning gibbous, and then new moon again. Waning means the visibile portion of the moon is getting smaller, and waxing means the visible portion of the moon is getting larger. The moons phases always happen from right to left.
The simplest way to put it: Moon phases are simply the passing of the lunar daytime and night across the moon's surface over the course of one month. One entire lunar day is equal to one full set of phases. [Note: the earth's shadow has absolutely nothing to do with the moon's phases.]
When the moon is in earth's shadow, a lunar eclipse occurs. When the earth is in the moon's shadow, a solar eclipse occurs. The moon has no 'control' over either of these events.
Quick answer: Over the course of a lunar cycle, you are observing the lunar day (exactly equal to the length of a lunar cycle of phases) unfolding on the moon's surface. [Some wrongly believe that the changing appearance of the moon has something to do with the earth's shadow on the moon; it does not. The earth's shadow is involved only during a lunar eclipse.]
A lunar eclipse is when the shadow of the earth passes over the moon, and a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun.
The angle between the moon, the Earth, and the sun changes over a month, and since we only see the side of the moon that is reflecting the sun's light, it seems that the moon appears differently.
It is simply the shadow of the earth over the moon. When none of the earth's shadow covers the moon, it is a full moon.
At any given moment, only 50% of the moon is exposed to sunlight (just like the earth), assuming there is no lunar eclipse ocurring. However, over the course of a month, the entire lunar surface will be exposed to sunlight.
The simplest way to put it: Moon phases are simply the passing of the lunar daytime and night across the moon's surface over the course of one month. One entire lunar day is equal to one full set of phases. [Note: the earth's shadow has absolutely nothing to do with the moon's phases.]
If you mean "one moon" as the Indians used the phrase to measure time, then the length of a lunar cycle (from one full moon to the next) would be just over 29.5 days.
When the moon is in earth's shadow, a lunar eclipse occurs. When the earth is in the moon's shadow, a solar eclipse occurs. The moon has no 'control' over either of these events.
The Moon itself doesn't change at all. What we see as the "phases" of the Moon are simply the month-long days and nights on the Moon's surface. The light comes from the Sun, over THERE, while we see the daylit part of the Moon from the Earth, HERE. At the "new" phase, the daytime side of the Moon is the farside; at the new, we're seeing the lunar night. At the full moon, we see the lunar noon.
The likely term sought is "lunar eclipse" -- Earth's shadow over the Moon -- although the orbit of the Moon is an ellipse(oval path).
When the moon blocks out the sun it is a solar eclipse.A lunar eclipse is when the Earth is between the Sun and the Earth casts a shadow over the Moon.
In all lunar calendars the first day of each month depends on the phases of the moon. Some calendars begin their month at the start of the new or dark moon while others do not start the month until the first new crescent moon is observed. The actual time it takes for the moon to go through a complete phase cannot be perfectly subdivided by any full number of days. It takes a little more than 29.5 days for this phase to occur, and, thus, over time, lunar calendars will begin to slip and become more and more inaccurate over time. Increasingly complex fractions and dividing schemes have been created to make lunar calendars more accurate.
Quick answer: Over the course of a lunar cycle, you are observing the lunar day (exactly equal to the length of a lunar cycle of phases) unfolding on the moon's surface. [Some wrongly believe that the changing appearance of the moon has something to do with the earth's shadow on the moon; it does not. The earth's shadow is involved only during a lunar eclipse.]
A lunar eclipse is when the shadow of the earth passes over the moon, and a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun.
moon buggies have huge wheels so that they can travel on the lunar surface and over rocks