PHASES OF M O O N

M AY 23, 2024
By
Rajashanmugapriya
Welcome all!
Are you a skywatcher?

Do you observe our moon regularly?

Can you observe the change in the size of the moon every day!!!
o Moon never looks same.
o Its size changes every day why?
o Are you interested about to know some more facts about the
moon?
o Can you differentiate between lunar eclipses from different sizes
of the moon? Which occurs between the new moon and
the full moon.
Come Let’s learn! And get
excited!!
 Pre study - M o t i o n o f moon
around earth
As Earth does, the moon revolves around the
Earth at a particular orbit.

It takes 29 and half days to complete its full

revolution
around Earth 🌎

It also rotates itself in 27 days.

In these full revolutions of the moon around

the Earth we can
Observe the moon in different shape
Yes! We are going to witness !!
 Definition - Phases o f moon
• Phase of the moon is side of the which viewed from earth, as the sun illuminates.

• The apparent shape of the Moon in the sky also changes from day to day in a cycle known as the phases of the Moon.

• The Moon’s changing appearance results from the relative positions and motions of the Moon, the Sun, and Earth.

NEW WANING THIRD

MOO GIBBOUS QUART
N ER
WAXING FULL WANING
CRESCEN MOO CRESCEN
T N T
FIRST WAXING
QUART GIBBOUS
ER
NEW M O O N
• This phase occurs when the moon is directly between
the Earth and the sun. When the moon is in this position,
there is no sunlight reflected on the surface of the moon that
is facing Earth.

• Thus we get 0% ILLUMINATED SURFACE

WAXI NG CRESCENT
• The Waxing Crescent is the second phase in the cycle of
phases.

• This phase is called the Waxing Crescent because the

area illuminated on the surface of the Moon makes the
shape of a crescent,

• The term waxing means increasing.

 FIRST QUARTER
• The First Quarter, or Half Moon, is the third phase in the cycle of
phases
• The reason this phase is called the First Quarter is that the Moon
has completed 1/4 of its orbit around the Earth
• This phase of the Moon is also known as a Half Moon because only
half of the Moon is visible.
WAXI NG GIBBOUS
• The Waxing Gibbous is the fourth phase in the cycle
of phases.
• The term waxing means increasing, and the term
gibbous
means “humped-back.”
• Therefore, this phase is called Waxing Gibbous because the
surface area of the Moon that you see is increasing and the
shape of the lit-up part of the Moon looks like a hump-back.
FULL M O O N
• The Full Moon is the fifth phase in the cycle of phases.

• At this point in the cycle, the Earth, Moon, and Sun are in a
straight line in relation to each other, causing the surface of the
Moon to be fully illuminated from our view on Earth.

• This is why it’s also called a Full Moon because all of

the Moon’s surface is visible.
WA N I N G GIBBOUS
• The Waning Gibbous is the sixth phase in the cycle of phases

• The term waning means decreasing

• This phase is called Waning Gibbous because the surface area

of the Moon that you see is decreasing and the shape of the lit-
up part of the Moon looks like a hump-back
T H I R D QUARTER
• The Third Quarter, or Half Moon, is the seventh phase in
the cycle of phases

• The reason this phase is called the Third Quarter is that

the
Moon has completed 3/4 of its orbit around the Earth

• This phase of the Moon is also known as a Half

Moon because only half of the Moon is visible.
WA N I N G CRESCENT
• The Waning Crescent is the eighth and final phase in the
cycle of phases

• The area illuminated on the surface of the Moon during

this phase is in the shape of a crescent and the amount of
sunlight reflecting off of the Moon is decreasing.

• The term waning means decreasing, which is why this Moon

phase is called Waning Crescent.
summary
 D o you
know
The lunar month based ? to pass through all the phases
on the moon

It calculated from one new moon day to other new moon day

A lunar month, or a lunar cycle, is also known as a lunation. The

astronomical term is a synodic month,

An average lunar month lasts 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes,

and 2
seconds, a few days short of a calendar month.
Why should we know
about phases
The phases of the moon can help them identify which lunar
features are visible and when to observe meteors and deep-sky
objects.

Many calendars, including the Gregorian calendar, are based on

the phases of the moon.

Studying the phases of the moon can help scientists understand

the mechanics of the Earth-Moon-Sun system, which is a
fundamental aspect of astronomy and astrophysics.
activity
Materials You’ll Need:
• Black sturdy poster board
• Black spray paint OR black sharpie marker
• 8 Ping pong balls The Setup
• Hot glue gun 1.Cut a hole in the middle of a black, sturdy poster board. The
hole should be big enough for a student to poke their head
through.

2. Spray paint or use a black Sharpie marker to color 8 ping pong

balls so that they are half black and half white.

3. Glue them to the board around the circle (hot glue works
well!).
The white side of the ping pong balls should be facing the
“sun.”

4. Label the direction the sun is coming from on the board.

 It’s time to be an 1
astronomer!!
Activity Objectives
1. Develop a model o f the lunar cycle.
2. Draw or use photos t o describe the pattern o f lunar phases. 2
Procedure
1. Take the piece o f bulletin board paper and fold i t in half,
making a sharp crease.
3
2. Fold the paper a second time t o make i t into a square again,
making a sharp crease.
3.Fold the paper a t h i r d time on the diagonal, making a
cone shape. The c u t edges o f the paper should all be at the
large opening 4
o f the cone. Make a sharp crease through all layers o f the
paper.
4. Using the scissors, trim the wide end o f the cone into a
curve
so i t looks like a piece o f pie or pizza. 5
5.Completely unfold the paper. I t should be a circle divided
into 8 sections, as shown in the following image
 6.Label one crease as 0°. Move t o the l e f t and label the next
crease 45°. Continue labeling the creases, moving t o the l e f t each
time—90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315°, and 360° (0° and 360° are the
same crease).

7. using a flashlight, the person holding the

flashlight needs t o stand 3 t o 4 f eet from the center o f the paper
circle.

8. Hold the pencil with the ball out at arm’s length, slightly higher
than shoulder height, and in line with the 0° crease.

9. Observe and sketch or photograph what the ball looks like from
the center o f the circle.

10.Turn your whole body slowly t o the l e f t until you are in line
with the 45° crease, and sketch or photograph the ball again.

11.Repeat the process until you are back t o the 0°/360° crease.
upload the photos t o the data table.
Work sheet

More work sheets:

https://core-
docs.s3.amazonaw
s.com/documents/
asset/uploaded_file/637026/8th_Gra
de_Science_Packet_3.26.20.pdf
Hope you all enjoyed !!excited
t o have a differ en t look on
moon hereafter!!
Have a nice day
References
https://www.kopernik.org/visitor-info/science-park/phases-of-the-
moon/
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/buac19-68-sci-ess-
moonphaseint/lunar-phases-simulation/
https://beakersandink.com/moon-phase-activities/
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/lunar-month.html
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/moon-phases/
The University of Texas McDonald Observatory