Observe Moon Changes
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Learning Objectives
- 1Name the eight phases of the Moon in order
- 2Explain why the Moon appears to change shape from Earth
- 3Keep an observation log recording moon phases over several nights
Mini Lesson
The Moon orbits Earth once every 29.5 days. As it travels around Earth, we see different amounts of the sunlit side of the Moon. This gives us the appearance of the Moon "changing shape" — we call these changes the phases of the Moon. The Moon does not produce its own light; it reflects sunlight.
The 8 Moon Phases (in order)
- New Moon — the Moon is not visible; dark side faces Earth.
- Waxing Crescent — a thin sliver of light appears on the right.
- First Quarter — the right half of the Moon is lit.
- Waxing Gibbous — more than half is lit, growing toward full.
- Full Moon — the entire face of the Moon is lit.
- Waning Gibbous — more than half is lit, but shrinking.
- Last Quarter — the left half of the Moon is lit.
- Waning Crescent — a thin sliver remains on the left.
Waxing and Waning
- Waxing — the lit area is growing (getting bigger).
- Waning — the lit area is shrinking (getting smaller).
Keep your observation log for at least a week. Draw the shape of the Moon each night, note the date and time, and name the phase. Present your log and explain the pattern you noticed.
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