Moon's Surface

The Moon's Phases

From Generation Genius

The Moon's Phases

• The portion of the moon that we can see from Earth on any given night is called the moon’s phase.

• As the moon orbits around the Earth, sunlight is reflected off the moon’s surface and that light reaches us on Earth.

• The phase of the moon depends on where the moon is in its orbit.

Multiple Choice

The phase of the Moon that we see on Earth depends on where the moon is in its _____.

• Axis

• Orbit

Poll

How long do you think it takes for the moon to complete one full orbit around the Earth?

• One week

• One month

• One year

It takes about one month for the moon to make a full orbit around the Earth, meaning the phases of the moon repeat about once a month!

The moon

• The moon does not produce any light on its own.

• The light we see coming from the moon is actually light reflected from the sun, kind of like a mirror.

• The part of the moon that we see is the part that is receiving light from the sun at that time

Multiple Choice

The moon is visible to us because light is hitting it from the _____.

• Earth

• Sun

• Moon

The Sun's Light

• The sun is the strongest source of light in our solar system.

• Every moon and planet that is visible in our solar system is reflecting light from the sun.

• The reflected light enters our eyes and that is what allows us to see.

The Moon's Phases

• As the moon orbits the Earth, we can see a different amount of the moon is lit by the sun from our perspective on Earth.

• Sometimes the moon is completely lit, and other times it is completely dark.

• This happens because the Moon is orbiting the Earth, just like the Earth is orbiting the Sun

The Moon's Phases

• The illuminated shape of the moon that is visible from Earth is called a phase.

• When you cannot see the moon at all, this phase is called a new moon.

• Several days after a new moon, we see the moon as a thin sliver of light called the crescent moon.

The Moon's Phases

• As the moon appears larger and larger, it becomes a quarter moon and gibbous moon.

• A full moon is visible when the whole side of the moon facing Earth is completely illuminated by the sun.

• On a clear night, a full moon looks very bright.

Multiple Choice

When the moon is not able to be seen at all, we call that a _____.

• New moon

• Crescent moon

• Full moon

Multiple Choice

When we can see all of the moon in the sky, that is called a _____.

• New moon

• Crescent moon

• Full moon