Moon Phases

							Moon Phases
• If you watch the Moon
  from night to night you will
  notice that it seems “wax”
  larger from a new moon to
  a full moon then “wane”
  smaller from a full moon
  back to new. The time from
  one new moon to the next is
  about 29.5 days and is
  called a lunar month.

• In fact the time it takes for
  the moon to go from any
  phase to the next time it
  shows the exact same phase
  is a lunar month.
The Source of Moon phases

                • The Moon’s orbit
                  around the Earth
                  causes the Moon to
                  have phases. The
                  phases are NOT
                  caused by the Earth’s
                  shadow!
• Your group will model the Moon as it
  orbits around the Earth. Your head
  will become the Earth and you will
  hold a small ball as the Moon. A light
  source will be the Sun. You will also
  be completing a scriptsheet.
What Phase?



     • Waxing Crescent
Waxing Crescent
What Phase?



     • First Quarter
First Quarter
What Phase?



     • Waxing Gibbous
Waxing Gibbous
What Phase?



     • Full Moon
Full Moon
What Phase?



     • Waning Gibbous
Waning Gibbous
What Phase?



     • Waning Crescent
Waning Crescent
Moon Phases

      • A few rules will
        help you
        understand Moon
        phases.
Crescent Moon
       • The Moon will
         be a crescent
         when it is closer
         to the Sun than
         you are.
Gibbous Moon
      • The Moon will
        be gibbous when
        it is farther from
        the Sun than you
        are.
             Waxing Moon




• The Moon will be waxing as it travels away
  from the Sun.
               Waning Moon




• The Moon will be waning as it travels
  toward the Sun.
• These rules can be used to understand phases
  seen with other objects in other places.
The Moon is at First Quarter
because it is at the same
distance from the Sun as the
Earth. Since the Styrofoam
ball is also on the Earth it
shows the same phase.
Both the Moon and the
water tower are closer
to the Sun than the
photographer so both
are crescents. Is the Sun
to the left or right of the
picture?
The water tower on the left
is even closer to the sun so
it is an even thinner
crescent.
Other Phases

      • Earth Phases can be
        seen from the Moon.


               Question
        Which is closer to the
        Sun, the Earth or the
               Moon?
Earthrise

             Question
       Which is closer to the
       Sun, the Earth or the
              Moon?
Quarter Earth and Moon
Gibbous Earth and
 Crescent Moon
Eclipses
    • Eclipses occur
      when the shadow of
      one object in space
      covers another
Lunar Eclipses
Lunar Eclipses
       • Lunar Eclipses occur
         when the shadow of
         the Earth covers the
         Moon. They can only
         occur during the Full
         Moon.
The Earth is Round!
               • The shape of the
                 Earth’s shadow
                 has long been
                 used to see both
                 the size and true
                 shape of the
                 Earth.
Lunar Eclipses

          Lunar eclipses can be
          seen from half the
          Earth. More people
          get the chance to see
          Lunar eclipses than
          Solar Eclipses.
Solar Eclipses
       • Solar Eclipses occur
         when the shadow of
         the Moon covers part
         of the earth. They can
         only occur on the New
         Moon.
Partial Eclipse

            Partial eclipses are
            seen when the
            Moon covers only
            part of the Sun
            from the viewers
            location.
Total Eclipse

           Total eclipses are
           seen when the
           Moon covers all of
           the Sun from the
           viewers location.
Transit

     An eclipse is similar to a
     transit. A transit occurs
     when one astronomical
     object passes in front of
     another. Here Venus is
     passing in front of the
     Sun.
                    Tides
Tides are caused by gravity. It is not only the
strength of gravity that causes tides but how
gravity grows weaker with distance.
The gravitational pull of the Sun or a
planet is greater on nearby objects.




              This object feels
              the most gravity
              and is pulled the
              most.



                                  This object feels
                                  the least gravity
                                  and is left behind.
The gravitational pull of the Moon pulls
ocean water to the side of the earth facing
the Moon. Water is also “left behind” on the
opposite side of the Earth.



           The stronger pull                           Gravity’s weaker
           of gravity draw s                           pull leaves w ater
           w ater to this s ide                        on this s ide of the
           of the Earth                                Earth causing a
           creating a “bulge”.                         second “bulge”.

                                  Most of the w ater
                                  that makes the
                                  bulge on the sde
                                  facing the Moon
                                  comes from the
                                  “midle”.
Both the Sun and the Moon create tides. The
Moon’s tides are greater than those of the Sun.
 These two tidal cause can work together or
           opposite to each other.
Full Moon Names
  Farmer's Almanac Blue Moon

  -The third full moon in a quarter of a
year that has 4 full moons. Most quarters
         have only 3 full moons.
       Calendar Blue Moon

 -The second full moon in the same
 moon. Most months have only 1 full
              moon.

This term began as an error in a Sky and
  telescope magazine article in 1946.
          Wolf Moon

-The first full moon of the year.
      Snow Moon

-The full moon of February.
    Lenten Moon

-The full moon of March.
         Egg Moon

-The full moon before Easter.
  Full Harvest Moon

-The full moon closest to the
    Autumnal Equinox.
     Hunter’s Moon

-The first full moon after the
       Harvest Moon.
Faces in the Full Moon
Full Moon Shapes