Why does the moon shrink and grow?

Answer 1

it does not! it just looks that way, its because the moon is rotating around the earth it is moving closer and then moving backward, again and again.

To clarify the original answer, the moon appears at times larger or smaller because the orbit of the moon around the earth is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. So, there are times in the orbit when the moon is closer to the earth than at other times. When the moon is furthest from the earth it appears about 12% smaller than when it is closest.

Also, the questioner may be alluding to an optical illusion that occurs, that makes the moon appear larger when the moon is close to the horizon, and smaller when it is high in the sky. This occurs because when the moon is low you have a points of reference on the ground to compare it to, making it look bigger, and when high in the sky, it is by itself against a large empty background, making it look smaller.

Answer 2

well first of all the moon does not shrink or grow. The moon orbits the earth so when we see that the moon is big it did not really get big it moved closer to the sun. But when we see it got smaller it did not get smaller it just moved alittle from earth. Its common sence. If our moon kept shrinking and growing it would be to close to the sun or earth and then 1. the sun can melt(i think)and 2. the moon can be earths doom. Think about. ITS COMMON SENCE PEOPLE!

Answer 3

The moon appears to shrink and grow in size due to its changing phases as it orbits around the Earth. These phases are a result of the varying amounts of sunlight that illuminate different portions of the moon as seen from Earth. The moon's shape remains constant, but the amount of visible surface changes as it moves through its phases.

Answer 4

Getting smaller is waning. Getting larger is waxing.