Hobbies And Interests
New Moon
A new moon occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. When the Moon is in this alignment, all of the light from the Sun is on the back side of the Moon, and the Moon itself is not visible.
Waxing Crescent
Two or three days after the new moon, the Moon begins to move away from the Sun to the east. You can distinguish the waxing crescent from the waning crescent because the tips of the illuminated Moon point to the east.
First Quarter
About one week after the new moon, the Moon has now completed approximately one-quarter of its orbit. The right-hand half of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun
Waxing Gibbous
Over the next week, the Moon continues to move across the sky to the East and more of the surface of the Moon is illuminated.
Full Moon
A full moon occurs when the Moon has completed half of its orbit around the Earth. The Earth is now between the Sun and the Moon and the entire face of the Moon is illuminated.
Waning Gibbous
During the week after the full moon, the Moon continues to move across the sky to the east and the sunlight begins to "wane" so that you see less of the light reflected.
Last Quarter
The last quarter phase occurs when the Moon is in the last quarter of its orbit and moving closer to the Sun. The left-hand side of the Moon is now visible.
Waning Crescent
During the last week of the Moon's orbit, the Moon is moving closer to the Sun. The Moon is now approaching the Sun to the west and the tips of the illuminated portion of the Moon are pointing to the west.