![]() As it orbits Earth, the moon will show different illuminated parts based on the angle to the sun and hence the phases of a lunation. On a daily basis, the moon appears to move eastward in the sky by 12°, and this determines different angles of its illumination by the sun. This means that one lunar rotation on its axis corresponds to the time of revolution around Earth, equal to 29.5 days. Of the moon, we always see a hemisphere and a little more because its rotation is synchronous and blocked by the tide. To better understand how it works, let us, first of all, remember that the moon does not emit its own light but reflects that of the sun and partly that reflected by the Earth–phenomenon of ashen light. The phases of the moon are a consequence of its motion around Earth in relation to the geometry assumed with respect to the sun. Giuseppe Donatiello is an Italian amateur astronomer, astrophotographer, and author who is known for his discovery of six nearby dwarf galaxies and several planetary nebulas. Usually, the moon passes above or below the sun from our vantage point, but occasionally it passes right in front of the sun, and we get a solar eclipse. Now, the moon is between Earth and the sun. ![]() Waning crescent: Less than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, and the amount is decreasing.įinally, the moon is back to its new moon starting position. The sun's light is now shining on the other half of the visible face of the moon. Last quarter: The moon has moved another quarter of the way around Earth, to the third quarter position. Waning gibbous: More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing. When they do, we have a lunar eclipse as Earth's shadow crosses the moon's face. The sun, Earth and the moon are aligned, but because the moon’s orbit is not exactly in the same plane as Earth’s orbit around the sun, they rarely form a perfect line. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight.įull moon: The moon is 180 degrees away from the sun and is as close as it can be to being fully illuminated by the sun from our perspective. Waxing gibbous: The area of illumination continues to increase. See the moon phases, and the difference between a waxing and waning crescent or gibbous moon, in this infographic about the lunar cycle each month. Moon phases 2023 with times (Eastern Time) New Moon
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