Phases of the Moon

The phases of the moon determine how much of the moon’s disc is well-lit from our viewpoint.

Our solar system’s only body that emits its particular illumination is the Sun. The Sun’s light shines down on Earth and the Moon all the time, lighting up half of our Earth in its spin and scattering off the Moon’s surface to form moonlight. The phases of the moon reflect the way of time in the dark sky. On some evenings, as soon as we gaze up at the moon, it is full and magnificent; on other nights, it is only a splinter of shimmering illumination. These fluctuations in appearance are caused by the phases of the moon. 

Understanding the Phases

• When you view the moon, consider where the sun is located. After all, it is the sun that illuminates and shapes the moon’s dayside.

The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s position in space in relation to the sun. The moon, the Earth, and the sun are perfectly aligned, with the Earth in the middle. The dayside of the moon, which is entirely lit, faces Earth’s night side. This is always the case on a full moon night.

• Every day, the moon appears on the side of the east and dips in the west. 

It has to be done. The Earth’s continuing daily rotation underneath the sky causes all celestial objects to rise and set.

• The moon orbits the Earth in around a month. 

Even though the moon rises in the east and needs to set in the west each day due to Earth’s rotation, it also moves across the sky’s canopy each and every day due to its own movement in orbit around the planet.

The moon is moving at a slower, less visible rate. It’s a movement in front of a fixed set of stars. You’ll see the moon has traveled westward if you just look at it one evening and then look at this again just a few hours later. The Earth’s spin is responsible for this westward movement.

• The moon is moving eastward in its orbit. 

Every day, the moon moves 12 to 13 degrees east on the sky’s dome, requiring Earth to revolve a little more to bring us towards where the moon is in orbit.

As a result, the moon rises around 50 mins later each day on average.

For the two weeks between the new and full moons, the moon’s later and later rising periods cause our partner planet to appear in a different place of the overhead at each nightfall.

Phases of the Moon

As it rounds the Earth, the moon goes through eight phases. Every week or so, the four major phases of the moon occur, with the full moon being the most stunning.

New Moon

When the Moon’s bright side faces the Sun, and its dark side faces the Earth, it is invisible. During this phase, the moon will be in the same sky region as the Sun, rising and setting with it. During the day, not only can you see the illuminated side, but it also points away from the planet! The Moon does not always move directly between the Sun and the Earth during this phase due to the angle of its orbit. It only travels near to the Sun from Earth’s perspective.

Waxing Crescent

The lit half of the Moon faces primarily away from the planet, with only a small section observable from our Earth, resulting in a silver ribbon of a Moon. It becomes bigger every day as the Moon’s orbit brings the Moon’s dayside closer to Earth. The Moon appears slightly later every day.

First Quarter

You can view half of the Moon’s lit side now that it’s a partway throughout its monthly voyage. People may refer to this as a half-moon, but that isn’t exactly what you see in the sky. You’re just getting a glimpse of half of the lit portion of the moon. The very first quarter moon appears at 12 p.m. and sets at 12 a.m. In the evening, it’s directly overhead and makes for fantastic viewing.

Waxing Gibbous

Now that the majority of the Moon’s dayside is visible, the Moon seems brighter in the skies.

Full Moon

This is the closest we can go to observing the Sun’s lighting of the Moon’s complete dayside, so, basically, this would be the actual half-moon. As seen from Earth, the Moon is opposite the Sun, exposing the Moon’s dayside. A full moon rises just before sunset and sets just before sunrise. The Moon will be full for a few days before moving into.

Waning Gibbous

The opposing moon now radiates the Moon’s light as it continues its trip back toward the Sun. The illuminated side appears to diminish, but this is just due to the Moon’s orbit carrying it out of our view. Each night, the Moon appears later and later.

Last Quarter

From Earth, the Moon looks to be half-lit, but you’re only viewing a quarter of the Moon that is lighted by the Sun. The third-quarter moon, also called the last quarter moon, arrives at midnight and dips at noon.

Waning Crescent

From our current perspective, the Moon is almost back to the original spot in its orbital, where its daytime fully confronts the Sun, and all we see is a narrow arc.

Conclusion

The solar system and its heavenly bodies are like the Sun, our planet Earth, and the Moon. Their movement and position solely depend on the astronomical activities going in space. It is notable that the phases of the moon are a continuous process that goes in a fixed interval of time as per the motion of the moon.

This exercise is not hindered by any other activity and continues to carry on a regular basis. The whole cycle of the change of phases of the moon is repeated every month. And it is noted that the natural satellite of the Earth, the Moon, impacts a lot on the motion of the planet.