1. Phases of the Moon

2. The moon’s dark side is facing the Earth, so we can not see it.
New Moon
The moon’s dark side is facing the Earth, so we can not see it.

3. Waxing Crescent Moon
As the moon moves, we get to see more of the side that is illuminated by the sun. This next phase is when we see a sliver of the moon.

4. Quarter Moon
We can now see half of the illuminated half of the moon, meaning we can see a quarter of the whole moon!
About a week after the new moon.

5. Waxing Gibbous
The moon appears to be more than one half, but less than fully illuminated, and getting bigger.

6. Full Moon
The moon’s illuminated side is fully facing the Earth. The Earth, sun and moon are in a straight line, with the Earth in the middle.

7. Waning Gibbous Moon
From here until the next new moon, we start seeing less of the moon, so we say it is waning, as the amount of the moon that we can see illuminated grows smaller.

8. Last Quarter
Half of the moon appears to be illuminated, and that fraction will only continue to decrease. The left half of the moon appears to be lighted and the right appears dark.

9. Waning Crescent
The moon appears to be partly, but less than half, illuminated, and continuing to decrease in size.

10. New Moon
After a total of 29 days, the moon is back to being a new moon, or not illuminated as visible from Earth, and the cycle restarts.