Phases of the Moon

Corbin is observing the night sky and notices that the face of the moon is facing away from the sun and appears to be completely dark. What is this phase of the moon called?

• The phase of the moon when the face of the moon is facing away from the sun and appears to be completely dark is called the New Moon.

• The phase of the moon when the face of the moon is facing away from the sun and appears to be completely dark is called the Full Moon.

• The phase of the moon when the face of the moon is facing away from the sun and appears to be completely dark is called the First Quarter.

• The phase of the moon when the face of the moon is facing away from the sun and appears to be completely dark is called the Last Quarter.

Answer explanation

The New Moon phase occurs when the moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun, causing the side facing Earth to be dark. This matches Corbin's observation of the moon being completely dark.

Drew and Olivia are observing the night sky and notice a small crescent on the right side of the moon lit, while the rest is dark. Which moon phase are they observing?

• Waxing Crescent

• Waning Crescent

• Full Moon

• New Moon

Answer explanation

Drew and Olivia see a crescent moon with the right side lit, indicating it is growing in illumination. This is characteristic of a Waxing Crescent phase, where the moon is transitioning from new to full.

Annabel and Cristian are observing the moon through a telescope. During which phase do they see the right half of the moon lit while the left half is dark?

• First Quarter

• Full Moon

• New Moon

• Last Quarter

Answer explanation

During the First Quarter phase, the right half of the moon is illuminated while the left half is dark. This is why Annabel and Cristian see the moon in this way.

Olivia and Ethan are observing the night sky and notice that the moon is almost completely lit, with a small crescent on the left side that is dark. In which phase is the moon?

• Waning Gibbous

• Waxing Crescent

• First Quarter

• New Moon

Answer explanation

The moon is almost fully illuminated with a small dark crescent on the left, indicating it is in the Waning Gibbous phase. This phase occurs after a Full Moon, where the light decreases, creating the crescent shape.

Olivia is observing the night sky and notices that the moon is fully illuminated. What is the phase of the moon when the face is facing the sun completely and appears to be full?

• Full Moon

• New Moon

• First Quarter

• Last Quarter

Answer explanation

The moon is in the Full Moon phase when it is fully illuminated, meaning the side facing Earth is completely lit by the sun. This is why Olivia sees a fully illuminated moon.

Annabel was observing the night sky and noticed the moon was almost completely lit with a small crescent on the right side that was dark. What is this moon phase called?

• Waning Gibbous

• Waxing Crescent

• First Quarter

• New Moon

Answer explanation

The moon phase described is a Waning Gibbous, where most of the moon is illuminated and only a small crescent remains dark. This occurs after a Full Moon as the illumination decreases.

Ethan is observing the moon through his telescope. During which moon phase does he notice that the left half of the moon is lit while the right half is dark?

• The left half of the moon is lit during the Last Quarter moon phase.

• The left half of the moon is lit during the First Quarter moon phase.

• The left half of the moon is lit during the New Moon phase.

• The left half of the moon is lit during the Full Moon phase.

Answer explanation

During the Last Quarter moon phase, the left half of the moon is illuminated while the right half is dark. This is the correct phase Ethan observes through his telescope.

Olivia was observing the night sky and noticed a small crescent of the left side of the moon was lit while the rest was dark. What is this moon phase called?

• The moon phase is called a Waxing Crescent.

• The moon phase is called a Waning Crescent.

• The moon phase is called a New Moon.

• The moon phase is called a Full Moon.

Answer explanation

The lit crescent on the left side indicates that the moon is moving from new to full, which is characteristic of a Waxing Crescent phase. A Waning Crescent would have the opposite illumination.

Olivia noticed that the moon looks to be getting bigger each night. This phase is known as ________.

• waxing

• waning

• full moon

• new moon

Answer explanation

The moon appears to get bigger each night during the waxing phase, as it transitions from new moon to full moon. Therefore, Olivia is observing the waxing phase of the moon.

Olivia and Cristian are observing the night sky. A lunar eclipse occurs when:

• the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon

• the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth

• the Sun comes between the Earth and the Moon

• the Earth and the Moon are on opposite sides of the Sun

Answer explanation

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon. This is why the correct answer is that the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon.