Moon Phases and Tides

A New Moon is the phase of the moon when it is not visible from Earth because it is between the Earth and the Sun.

A First Quarter Moon is the phase of the moon when half of it is illuminated and visible from Earth, occurring about a week after the New Moon.

A Full Moon is the phase of the moon when it is fully illuminated and visible from Earth, occurring about two weeks after the New Moon.

It takes about 29 days for the moon to complete one orbit around the Earth.

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on Earth's oceans.

A high tide is when the water level in the ocean rises to its highest point due to the gravitational pull of the moon.

A low tide is when the water level in the ocean falls to its lowest point, occurring between high tides.

The moon goes through eight distinct phases in a lunar cycle.

The eight moon phases are New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent.

The Waxing Gibbous phase is when more than half of the moon is illuminated and is growing towards a Full Moon.