Moon Phases

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What is a Full Moon?

Back

A Full Moon occurs when the Moon is fully illuminated by the Sun, appearing as a complete circle in the sky.

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What is a New Moon?

Back

A New Moon occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, making it invisible from Earth.

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What is a Waxing Crescent Moon?

Back

A Waxing Crescent Moon is the phase after a New Moon, where a small sliver of the Moon becomes visible, increasing in size.

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What is a Waxing Gibbous Moon?

Back

A Waxing Gibbous Moon is the phase after the First Quarter, where more than half of the Moon is illuminated and increasing.

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What is a Waning Gibbous Moon?

Back

A Waning Gibbous Moon is the phase after a Full Moon, where the illumination is decreasing but more than half is still visible.

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What is a Third Quarter Moon?

Back

A Third Quarter Moon occurs when half of the Moon is illuminated and is decreasing in size, following the Waning Gibbous.

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What is a Waning Crescent Moon?

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A Waning Crescent Moon is the phase just before a New Moon, where a small sliver of the Moon is visible and decreasing.

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How many main phases does the Moon have?

Back

The Moon has eight main phases: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent.

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What is the difference between Waxing and Waning?

Back

Waxing refers to the Moon phases where the visible portion is increasing, while Waning refers to the phases where the visible portion is decreasing.

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What phase comes after a Full Moon?

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The phase that comes after a Full Moon is the Waning Gibbous.