Dedicated to Dr. McLaughlin

Table of Contents

Overview...................................................................................................pg.3

Moon Phases............................................................................................pg.4

Introduction.............................................................................................pg.5

Appearances.....................................................................................pgs.6-13

Special Cases....................................................................................pgs.14-15

Video..........................................................................................................pg.16

Moon Phase Activity.....................................................................pgs.17-19

Children's Book......................................................................................pg.20

Moon Phases in the News.................................................................pg.21

Festivities/Celebrations................................................................................................pg.22-25

Resources..................................................................................pg.26-27

You may notice, that the moon does not appear to look the same every time you see it in the sky. This is because the moon has different phases, also known as the lunar cycle. The moon phases are determined by how much light the sun is shining on the moon. It takes the moon about one month to go through an entire cycle.

There are eight moon phases, starting with the new moon and ending with the waning crescent.

The different phases of the moon occur because of how the moon is positioned in relation to the sun. When we are only able to see a portion of the moon, the other part of it that is invisible to us is facing away from the sun. Half of the moon is always visible to us and half of it is in shadow. We see different phases though, because of how the moon's is in relation to us.

The first phase is the New Moon. The new moon occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are in a relatively straight line. The new moon phase the moon is located in between the earth and sun. The part of the moon facing towards us receives no direct sunlight. It is only lit by dim sunlight reflected from the Earth. Which is why the moon appears nearly or completely invisible to us.

The second phase is the Waxing Crescent Moon. The side of the moon that is visible to us starts rotating around the Earth. As the moon starts rotating around the Earth, it gradually becomes more illuminated by direct sunlight. It becomes more visible from the right side to the left.The dark portion of a crescent moon is slightly visible, because of the light reflected from the Earth's day side onto the moon.

Next is the 1st Quarter Moon. As the moon is 90 degrees away from the sun, it is half visible from our point of view. It is shown as half of a full moon. At this phase, the moon is showing us precisely half of its lighted half. It is called the first quarter because it is one quarter of the way around in its orbit of the Earth. This is measured from one new moon to the next. This phase appears half lit from our view, but it is only a quarter, because half of the moon is facing us. Opposite of Earth, another lit quarter of the moon shines.

Then is the Waxing Gibbous. The illumination continues to increase in this phase. More than half of the moon's face gets sunlight. A Waxing Gibbous moon appears more than half lit, but less than full. A Waxing Gibbous moon is very visible in the daytime because, at this phase of the moon, a large fraction of the moon’s dayside faces towards us.

The Full Moon is when the moon is 180 degrees away from the sun. The visible half of the moon is in full position for us to view it. The sun, Earth, and moon are aligned. The Earth is positioned between the moon and the sun. The tilt of the Earth allows the moon to be visible and we are able to see the side of the moon that is in the sunlight.

Sixth is the Waning Gibbous. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing. At this time, the moon is less than full but more than half lit. The visibility of the moon decreases from left to right.

Moving forward, the 3rd Quarter Moon phase comes about. The sun's light shines on the other half of the visible face of the moon. It appears half-lit by sunshine and half-immersed in its own shadow. During this phase, there is a lunar terminator – the shadow line dividing day and night – shows you its sunset on the moon.

Lastly, is the Waning Crescent. Less than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, and the amount is decreasing. The Waning Crescent moon is sometimes called an old moon, which is visible in the east before dawn. Each morning, the moon shows us less and less of its lighted side. It rises closer to the sunrise, heading for new moon.

Blue Moon

According to NASA, blue moons occur every two and a half years and is an extra full moon in the cycle. Dust in the air causes the moon to appear blue.

Blood Moon

A blood moon occurs during a lunar eclipse and is also a type of full moon. During this occurrence, about every one and half years, the moon appears red instead of its normal white color. A eclipse occurs when the earth moves between the sun and the moon. The Earth blocks the sunlight that the moon would normally reflect.

Here's a video link to help you further understand moon phases!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ZHdzl6ZWg

Moon Phases Cup Activity

As you turn the cup, the moon will change phases!

https://www.facebook.com/happytotshelf/videos/490129928055928/?type=3&theater