Moon Phases Lesson

​Exploring

The Moon's Phases

​Phases of the Moon

​The Moon's position relative to the Sun and Earth causes its phases.
As the Moon orbits the Earth during the month, different amounts of sunlight illuminate its surface, creating the 8 familiar phases.

Multiple Choice

How many phases of the moon are there?

• 4

• 6

• 8

• 11

​New Moon

​The side of the moon lit by the sun is always facing the sun, so we see the back, shadowed side of the moon

​The moon is between the Earth and Sun.
Sometimes this causes solar eclipses.

​Waxing Crescent

​During a waxing crescent, the sunlight has begun to peak over the edge of the moon as it continues its month-long orbit around Earth.

​First Quarter

​During a First Quarter moon, the moon is at
a 90 degree angle with Earth and the Sun, illuminating half
of the side we can see.

(also called a half moon)

​Waxing Gibbous

​Most of the moon's face is now illuminated!
The next phase will be a full moon.

​Full Moon

​A full moon is when the side of the moon facing the Sun is also facing the Earth, so it is fully illuminated in our view!

​Waning Gibbous

​The full moon is starting to wane away.

The shadow will grow from the right, leaving less light on the left.

​Waning Crescent

​Waning crescent is the last moon phase before the new moon, and the cycle begins again.

Now, only slivers of sunlight remain on the moon's left side.

​Third Quarter

​The moon is at a 90 degree angle on the other side this time, illuminating the other half.

Multiple Choice

Which word means the moon appears to be growing?

• waxing

• waning

Multiple Choice

Which word means the moon appears to be shrinking?

• waxing

• waning

Multiple Choice

Which phase comes after a full moon?

• waxing gibbous

• waning gibbous

Multiple Choice

Which phase comes after a new moon?

• waxing crescent

• waning crescent

The moon's orbit causes its phases

• The Moon orbits the Earth once about 27.3 days.
  
  

• The Moon's phases are caused by its position relative to the Sun and Earth.

Understanding the Moon Phases

• The phases of the moon are caused by the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon.
  

• As the moon orbits the Earth, different amounts of its illuminated side are visible from Earth, resulting in the different phases.
  

• The new moon occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth, and the full moon occurs when the Earth is between the sun and moon.
  

• The first quarter and third quarter moons are half moons.

Multiple Choice

What causes the phases of the moon?

• The rotation of the Earth

• The gravitational pull of the sun

• The relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon

• The reflection of sunlight on the moon

Multiple Choice

About how long is the moon's orbit?

• a week

• a month

• a year

Phases of the Moon: Review

The relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon cause the phases of the moon.
As the moon orbits the Earth, different amounts of sunlight are reflected, creating the different phases.
The moon appears to change shape because of its position in relation to the sun and Earth. New moon occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth
Full moon occurs when the Earth is between the sun and moon.
The other phases, such as first quarter and last quarter, occur when the moon is at a 90-degree angle to the sun and Earth.

Labelling

Which phase of the moon is this?

(if the light is on the right, its waxing)

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

First Quarter

Waxing Crescent

Third Quarter

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

New Moon

Waning Gibbous

Waning Crescent

Reorder

Put the first 5 moon phases in order, starting with new moon:

• New Moon

• Waxing Crescent

• First Quarter

• Waxing Gibbous

• Full Moon

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

​Moon Phases Activity

​Required: foam ball, stick, and a single light source.