The moon does not have its own luminosity. It gets its light from the sun by reflecting the suns light on its surface. The Sun continuously illuminates half of the Moon’s surface,
but varying amounts of it are visible from Earth at any moment
Changes in visibility of the Moon’s surface follow a predictable pattern called the lunar cycle
The positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon as they move through space cause the lunar phases to occur to viewers from Earth
The Moon revolves around the Earth about every 28 days
The lunar phases occur in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent
The lunar phases change about every 3.5 days
Changes in visibility of the Moon’s surface follow a predictable pattern called the lunar cycle
The positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon as they move through space cause the lunar phases to occur to viewers from Earth
The Moon revolves around the Earth about every 28 days
The lunar phases occur in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent
The lunar phases change about every 3.5 days