1. Changing Moon

2. The Earth’s Satellite
The Moon completes one orbit around Earth every 28 days.
One orbit is called a cycle.
Second brightest object in the sky.
The moon does not make it’s own light!
Moonlight- sunlight reflected from the moon.
The moon is always half sunlit and half dark.

3. The Moon’s Position
Did you know that the moon never looks the same two days in a row?!
Why does the moon’s appearance change?
Because we see different amounts of the lit part as the Moon orbits Earth. Again, it takes about 4 weeks for the Moon to go around the Earth. (Lunar cycle)
The moon orbits the Earth counterclockwise. Refer to pages to see the 4 “positions.”

4. The Moon’s Appearance The Moon is always a sphere.
Half of the Moon is ALWAYS sunlit even if we can’t see it.
The only thing that changes is how much of the sunlit moon we can see from Earth.
The shape of the visible part of the Moon is called a phase.

5. New Moon Position 1. The Moon is between the Sun and the Earth.
We see nothing! The New Moon has no light showing.

6. Full Moon Two weeks after New Moon. Position 3.
We can see the whole sunlit side of the moon.

7. First quarter moon/Third quarter moon
Position 2=first quarter moon.
Position 4=third quarter moon.
At both of these positions, you see half of the sunlit part of the moon and half of the dark part of the moon.
First quarter moon
Third quarter moon

8. The Lunar Cycle/Position 1-2
The position of the Moon in its lunar cycle determines the Moon’s phase.
Day 1- New Moon.
Day 3- Waxing Crescent Moon.
Day 5-Waxing Crescent Moon.
Day 6-Waxing Crescent Moon (last day).
crescent- the curved shape.
Waxing- when the Moon appears to grow.

9. The Lunar Cycle/Position 2-3
Day 7- First Quarter Moon.
Day 9- Waxing Gibbous Moon.
Day 11- Waxing Gibbous Moon.
Gibbous- a moon phase that is larger than a quarter but is not yet full.
Day 14- Full Moon (Position 3).

10. The Lunar Cycle/Position 3-4 and back to the beginning 
Day 18- Waning Gibbous Moon.
Day 21 Third Quarter Moon (Position 4).
Day 24- Waning Crescent Moon.
Day 28-New Moon (Position 1).
Waning-getting smaller.