Moon Phase Crash Course

Besides the Sun, what is the most obvious object in the sky?

• the Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Sirius

How wide is the Moon?

• 35 km
• 350 km
• 3,500 km
• 35,000 km

How much of the Moon faces the sun?

• one quarter
• one half
• three quarters
• all of it

What part of the Moon do astronomers refer to as the night or dark side?

• the half facing away from the Earth
• the half facing away from the Sun
• the side that we never see
• the dark part of a gibbous moon

Which word refers to the shape of the Moon, as it appears to us?

• terminator
• cycle
• phase
• aspect

What is the name of the dividing line, separating the lit and unlit sides of the Moon?

• terminator
• dominator
• phase
• denominator

The Moon orbits the Earth roughly once per _____

• day
• week
• month
• year

Words that have similar etymological histories, like “month” and “Moon” are _____

• cognates
• homonyms
• antonyms
• palindromes

What is the length of time for the Moon to go through all its phases?

• 29.5 days
• 25.9 days
• 59.2 days
• 92.5 days

In which part of the Moon's cycle is it closest to the Sun?

• new moon
• first quarter
• full moon
• third quarter