Ariel is the moon of a superior planet (Uranus), so it's never between the Earth and the Sun. If we see it at all, we see it as a full moon.
The complete cycle of the moon's 'phases' ... the time to go from any shapeto the next appearance of the same shape ... averages 29.531 days.
It takes approximately 29.5 days for the moon to go from one full moon phase to the next when viewed from Earth. This period is known as a lunar month or synodic month.
The right half of the moon is illuminated.
"Waxing" is the term used when the Moon's illuminated part is growing in size, while "waning" means that the lighted part is decreasing. "Gibbous" means more than half, but not full. So "waxing gibbous" is the phase of the Moon between the first quarter and the full moon.
I learned this in science class- it takes 29 1/2 days for the moon to go from new moon to the next new moon.
On the average: 29days 12hours45minutes (rounded)
The complete cycle of the moon's 'phases' ... the time to go from any shapeto the next appearance of the same shape ... averages 29.531 days.
On the average: 29days 12hours45minutes (rounded)
It takes approximately 29.5 days for the moon to go from one full moon phase to the next when viewed from Earth. This period is known as a lunar month or synodic month.
The right half of the moon is illuminated.
"Waxing" is the term used when the Moon's illuminated part is growing in size, while "waning" means that the lighted part is decreasing. "Gibbous" means more than half, but not full. So "waxing gibbous" is the phase of the Moon between the first quarter and the full moon.
One week from now, the moon will likely be in the first quarter phase, where half of the moon is illuminated. The new moon phase is followed by the waxing crescent phase and then the first quarter phase in the lunar cycle.
The time from one phase of the moon until the next time the moon reaches the same phase is 29.5 days.
After the full moon, the moon wanes (gets smaller) through the waning gibbous phase, to the last quarter moon, the waning crescent, and finally the new moon.
I learned this in science class- it takes 29 1/2 days for the moon to go from new moon to the next new moon.
The first phase is a new moon, that is when you can't see the moon at all. Next is a waxing crescent, that is when the moon looks a bit like a banana. The next phase is a half moon (which in space it is actually a quarter moon but in Earth it looks like a half moon) is when the moon is right down the middle. Next is a waxing gibbous, which is when it is nearly full (3 quarters). The next phase is the full moon which is when you can see all the moon reflecting from the Sun. The next phase is a waning gibbous is when the moon is three quarters again but it is facing the other way because its getting smaller. The next phase is the half moon again but facing the other way. The next phase is a waning crescent Moon which is when the moon looks like a banana again but facing the other way. The next phase is back to the new moon when you can see nothing again. That is all the phases of the moon and it take about 28 days to do that while orbiting the earth.
The Moon was full two days ago, so for the next 5 days the Moon will be in the "waning gibbous" phase. On Saturday, 2/6/10, the Moon will be at the Third Quarter phase.