When the lit part of the Moon grows larger, it is in the phase known as "waxing." This phase occurs after the New Moon and leads up to the Full Moon. During this time, more of the Moon's surface becomes illuminated as seen from Earth, transitioning from a crescent to a gibbous shape.
Phase 1 - New Moon - The side of the moon that is facing the Earth is not lit up by the sun. At this time the moon is not visible.Phase 2 - Waxing Crescent - A small part (less than 1/2) of the moon is lit up at this point. The part that is lit up is slowly getting bigger.Phase 3 - First Quarter - One half of the moon is lit up by the sun at this point. The part that is lit up is slowly getting bigger.Phase 4 - Waxing Gibbous - At this time half of the moon is lit up. The part that is lit is slowly getting bigger. Waxing means to slowly get bigger.Phase 5 - Full Moon - The side of the moon that is lit up by the sun is facing the Earth. The entire moon is lit up at this point.Phase 6 - Waning Gibbous - The moon is not quite lit up all the way by sunlight. The part of the moon this is lit is slowly getting smaller. Waning means to slowly get smaller.Phase 7 - Last Quarter - Half of the moon is lit up but the sun. The part that we can see lit up is slowly getting smaller.Phase 8 - Waning Crescent - A small part of the moon is lit up at this point. It is getting smaller by the minute.
The general term for the visible lit part of the moon is "the phase of the moon." The visible lit portion can have a crescent shape, a gibbous shape or a "half-moon" (half circle) shape.
craters
The different shapes of the lit part of the moon are called the moon's phases. These phases include New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent.
Roughly half of the moon is lit by the sun at all times. The moon revolves around the earth so we only see the part of the moon that actually faces the sun, which is how the moon has phases.
Phase 1 - New Moon - The side of the moon that is facing the Earth is not lit up by the sun. At this time the moon is not visible.Phase 2 - Waxing Crescent - A small part (less than 1/2) of the moon is lit up at this point. The part that is lit up is slowly getting bigger.Phase 3 - First Quarter - One half of the moon is lit up by the sun at this point. The part that is lit up is slowly getting bigger.Phase 4 - Waxing Gibbous - At this time half of the moon is lit up. The part that is lit is slowly getting bigger. Waxing means to slowly get bigger.Phase 5 - Full Moon - The side of the moon that is lit up by the sun is facing the Earth. The entire moon is lit up at this point.Phase 6 - Waning Gibbous - The moon is not quite lit up all the way by sunlight. The part of the moon this is lit is slowly getting smaller. Waning means to slowly get smaller.Phase 7 - Last Quarter - Half of the moon is lit up but the sun. The part that we can see lit up is slowly getting smaller.Phase 8 - Waning Crescent - A small part of the moon is lit up at this point. It is getting smaller by the minute.
crescent moon. when the lit part of the moon is to the left it is called Waning Crescent Moon and when the lit part of the moon is to the right it is called Waxing Crescent Moon
The general term for the visible lit part of the moon is "the phase of the moon." The visible lit portion can have a crescent shape, a gibbous shape or a "half-moon" (half circle) shape.
That would be the "Full Moon".
craters
That is the new moon phase.
The different shapes of the lit part of the moon are called the moon's phases. These phases include New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent.
Roughly half of the moon is lit by the sun at all times. The moon revolves around the earth so we only see the part of the moon that actually faces the sun, which is how the moon has phases.
It is called the eclipse
That configuration is known as the "New Moon" phase.
The sun is always shining at the moon. However, sometimes we can only see part of the moon that the sun is shining on. When the sun is behind us and the moon in front of us, we can see all of the part of the moon that the sun is shining on. If the sun is behind us and the moon is to the left or right of us, we can see part of the moon that the sun is shining on and part that it isn't shining on. However, because that part of the moon is so dark, we cant really see it all, so we see a half moon. As the moon orbits the Earth wee see more or less part of it lit up. The moon then seems to disappear altogether, which is because we can't see any part of the moon being lit up. The moon is getting fuller at present, so each night we see a bit more of it lit up. After it is full we will begin to see less of it being lit up.
The Moon appears to be lit up because it reflects light from the Sun. The amount of the Moon that is illuminated by the Sun changes as the Moon orbits the Earth, creating different phases like full moon, new moon, and crescent moon.