Have you ever looked up at the sky and noticed how the Moon changes shape each night? Ever wondered why these phases of the Moon happen… And how?

Well, here’s the answer – it doesn’t ‘change shape’ at all! Let’s take a look at the phases of the Moon…

Phases of the Moon

The Moon doesn’t emit (give off) light itself, the ‘moonlight’ we see is actually the Sun’s light reflected off the lunar surface.

Facts about the moon - image 2

So, as the Moon orbits the Earth, the Sun lights up different parts of it, making it seem as if the Moon is changing shape. In actual fact, it’s just our view of it that’s altering…

The Phases of the Moon - image 2Zoom in for a closer look! 

Changing faces

The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite (a celestial body that orbits a planet). It takes the Moon 27.3 days to make a complete orbit around the Earth, but because the Earth is moving around the sun at the same time, it takes the moon 29.5 days to go through its eight different ‘phases’ – a lunar month.

The Phases of the MoonZoom in for a closer look! 

Did you know we have a FREE downloadable Phases of the Moon primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

When the Moon appears to be getting bigger, it’s ‘waxing’ and when it looks like it’s getting smaller, it’s ‘waning’. Once the face of the Moon is fully turned towards the Sun, it’s a Full Moon, and we see it all. But, as the Moon moves around the Earth, the face pointing towards us gradually becomes hidden from the Sun until we can hardly see it at all – this is a New Moon. Cosmic!

White text reads 'Fascinated by space? Become a stargazer with our range of Nat Geo KiDS telescopes' The post also shows a National Geographic microscope and telescope set

Did you enjoy our phases of the Moon feature? Be sure to check out our ten top facts about the Moon, too!

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COMMENTS

  • CrazyCute89

    Wow!This is very cool!

  • James

    omg this is cool

  • hi

    cool

  • sky rose robledo

    So Scientific

  • Aditi

    Cool

  • GERRY

    I LOVE THE FACTS

  • Awesome

  • alex

    nice!

  • Chay

  • Cool!!

  • Limo

    That's awesome! I have a physics test coming up and I'm glad I found this for a great explanation!

  • JJ

    Cool

  • PeytonB15837

    WOW

  • Lois

    This is a good app

  • HELLO

    I LOVE THIS I CAN USE THIS FOR MY EXPLANATION TEXT

  • none

    hi

  • Cool!

  • Max

    Cool!

  • Enzo

  • I have no name

    yay

  • ToxicToxic90

    cool

  • Crystabell

    WOW

  • Lorenzo

    I have learnt about the moon soooooooo!!!!!! much i cant believe how much i learnt. :)

  • Best holiday activity ideas to do at home - Learning Resources UK

    […] Keep an eye on the phases of the moon. […]

  • I cant believe you've done this!

  • Emma

    I like how you added “cosmic” to it. Another thing I like is that you added sintific words like waning and waxing!

  • hi

  • Cool

    Amazing

  • Ok

  • Sasha

    Amazing

  • Baby

    It super good

  • Poop

    It very bad

  • I’m a potato! >:3

    Nice website

  • Jackideyjackjack

    Moon

  • Nice my school is using this website to teach.

  • Kaelan

    Cool

  • NatiusRocks

    Nice

  • Xavier

    That’s cool

  • Sari

    I love these facts

  • Ma'keila

    Nice Moon Phases

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