Beginner • science

The Moon and its Phases

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The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It does not produce its own light. Instead, it shines because it reflects the light of the Sun. As the Moon travels around the Earth, we see different amounts of its lit side. These changes are called the phases of the Moon. It takes about 29.5 days for the Moon to go through all of its phases. When the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun, we cannot see it at all. This is called a New Moon. As the Moon moves, we start to see a tiny sliver of light, which grows larger each night. This is a waxing moon. When the entire side facing Earth is lit, it is a Full Moon. After that, the light starts to shrink, which is called a waning moon, until it becomes a New Moon again.

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