How did waning gibbous get its name?

Answer 1

The phase of the Moon just after a Full Moon

The word "waning" means decreasing in size (referring to the illuminated portion), and "gibbous" means that more than half of the surface is illuminated.

The waning gibbous phase becomes the "last quarter" or "third quarter" when the illuminated portion is exactly 50%, leading to the "waning crescent" with less than 50% and eventually a New Moon (totally darkened, as the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun).

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Phases of the Moon in sequence:

• New moon (0%)
• Waxing crescent moon
• First quarter moon (50%)
• Waxing gibbous moon
• Full moon (100%)
• Waning gibbous moon
• Last quarter moon (50%)
• Waning crescent moon

Answer 2

"Waning" indicates that the illuminated portion of the Moon is decreasing in size, moving towards the New Moon phase. "Gibbous" refers to the Moon appearing more than half lit but less than full, creating a bulging shape. So, waning gibbous describes the Moon as it moves from being fully lit to a slightly less than fully lit shape.

Answer 3

Waxing Gibbous is the moon phase between First Quarter and Full Moon - when the

moon is more than half illuminated, and becoming more fully illuminated as time

passes. "Waxing" is an obsolete English word for "growing", and "gibbous" comes

from the Latin word 'gibbus' meaning "hump-backed".

Answer 4

Gibbous moon refers to the appearance of the moon before and after the Full moon.

A Full moon is a circle of light that is 100% visible. But before that and after that, in the quarters before/after reaching the 'half moon' stage, it is described as gibbous, meaning bent/convex in shape/appearance.

'gibbous' [Latin gibbos; French gibbeux; Greek xνφοs, from a Greek verb, meaning to bend] means

# Swelling; protuberant; convex. The moon is gibbous when the lit part is convex. In medicine, a swollen part of bone can be described as gibbous. # Hunched; hump-backed. # In botany, any swelling or projection at the base of leaves or flowers.

Answer 5

Waning means getting smaller or weaker. It is the opposite of waxing.

Gibbous, literally means humped. It is the opposite of crescent.

So a waning gibbous, means a humped moon getting smaller.

See related link for a pictorial.

Answer 6

Gibbous is the name of two phases of the Moon. Waxing Gibbous, for when the Moon is turning from New to Full, and Waning Gibbous when the Moon is turning from Full to New. It refers to when 51-99% of the Moon's surface is visible in the night sky. [The picture above shows a crescent Moon, not a gibbous Moon.]

Answer 7

Gibbous is when the moon is larger than a half moon. Waxing gibbous if it's getting bigger (before full moon) and waning gibbous after full moon when it's getting smaller and approaching half moon again.

Answer 8

The so-called "gibbous" shape is any shape more than a semi-circle but

less than a full circle.

It's the apparent shape of the moon during roughly the middle two weeks

of the cycle between successive New Moons, or roughly a week either side

of the Full Moon.

Answer 9

During the two weeks after Full Moon . . .

Waning gibbous --> Third Quarter (half-illuminated) --> Waning crescent --> New Moon

Answer 10

It's a phase of the moon where the moon is crescent-shaped and getting smaller by the day.