2. Phases of the moon handout Sun: way the heck to the left

4. R L

5. R L New Waxing Crescent First Half/ First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Waning Gibbous Last Half/ Last Quarter Waning Crescent

7. Notice the changing diameter of the Moon during the 'moonth'. As the Moon's orbit brings it closer to earth (perigee) at the New Moon, it appears larger to us. Also notice how the Moon 'rocks' up and down and back and forth. That happens because the Moon's orbit takes it above the Earth's equator (allowing us to see more of the south polar region) and below the equator revealing more of the north polar region of the Moon. The back and forth (east- west) rocking is due to the changing orbital velocity of the moon.