Hobbies And Interests
New Moon
The new moon initiates the eight cycles of the moon as it revolves around Earth. Its sphere is the hardest to identify. It appears in the sky as a full circle or sphere but it is dark due to its alignment between Earth and the sun. During new moon time, the moon and sun set and rise at the same time, and the illuminated side of the moon faces away from Earth.
Waxing Cresent
Waxing means the new moon is becoming a full moon. Waxing starts the day after the new moon and lasts for six days. During waxing, the right side of the moon becomes more illuminated. In the Northern Hemisphere, it appears as an increasingly larger right-sided crescent with each passing night until the right side is completely lit up. The left side gets larger in the Southern Hemisphere.
First Quarter/Half Moon
Contrary to its name, the first quarter moon appears as a half-lit moon with a bright right side and a dark left side in the Northern Hemisphere. A bright left side appears in the Southern Hemisphere. The first quarter moon continues waxing or gets brighter and larger until the entire moon becomes illuminated on the night of the full moon.
Waxing Gibbous
A waxing gibbous moon appears for six days, and each night gradually shows more than half of the moon. The illuminated moon's crescent encompasses both the right and left side in the waxing gibbous stage. A waxing gibbous moon becomes larger every night during the period between the first quarter moon and the full moon.
Full Moon
A full moon's illuminated side completely faces Earth, making it the most brilliant. It is completely spherical. Its bright light is a reflection of the sun while the moon, sun and Earth are almost totally aligned.
Waning Gibbous
The waning gibbous moon occurs over a period of seven nights. During this time, the moon gets smaller in size with the visible crescent decreasing from right to left in the Northern Hemisphere and left to right in the Southern Hemisphere.
Third Quarter/Half Moon
The third quarter or last quarter moon is half-lit like the first quarter moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the left side is brightly illuminated while the right side is dark. The opposite occurs on Earth's Southern Hemisphere. A third quarter moon continues to wane for six days until it becomes a new moon.
Waning Crescent
The visible waning crescent becomes smaller for the last six days before the moon disappears completely from the sky as a new moon. The waning crescent moon gets smaller from right to left in the Northern Hemisphere and left to right in the Southern Hemisphere.