The Moon

1. The Moon Mrs.Deforge

2. Phases of the Moon • All parts of the Moon are lit in turn by the Sun.  As it rotates round the Earth we see different fractions of the sunlit half, or hemisphere, of the Moon.  These are known as the phases of the Moon, or lunar phases.   The Moon changes from a thin crescent to a full moon and back again to a crescent in one month (actually 29 days, which is a lunar month).   

3. Waxing Moon • The waxing Moon.  “Waxing” means growing.  After the new moon appears in the sky as a tiny sliver of light the moon waxes.  It grows into a crescent, curving to your left as you look at it and then into a half moon.  This takes a week and so the period is described as the Moon’s first quarter.

4. Waxing Gibbous • The waxing gibbous Moon.  Gibbous means humped and describes the shape of the Moon as it grows from a half moon to a full moon.  Another week has passed and this is the Moon’s second quarter.

5. The Waning Moon • The waning Moon.  “Waning” means shrinking.  Now the Moon begins to get smaller again – it “wanes”.  The third quarter takes us from a full moon to a half moon again, but this time it is the right hand side of the moon that shines.

6. Waning Crescent Moon • The waning crescent Moon.  The last quarter takes us from a half moon back to a crescent moon, facing right, and to a point where the moon disappears.

7. Moon Crescent • When the Moon is a crescent and only the crescent is being illuminated by the Sun, you can often see the shadow of the rest of the Moon.  This is caused by reflection of sunlight from the Earth.  It is sometimes called “the old moon in the new moon’s arms”.

8. Reflection of Light • Sunlight will shine on the side of the Earth (or moon) that faces the sun. We call this day on the side of the Earth that faces the sun, and night on the side of the Earth that does not face the sun.
Keep in mind that sunlight will illuminate the side of an object that faces it!

9. Reflections • The moon "shines" by reflected sunlight. As the moon orbits Earth, sunlight "shines" on different parts of the moon on the side of the moon that we can see. • We always see the same side of the moon. (Why? Because the moon only spins once per lunar month on its own axis as it orbits the Earth, so we always see the same side.

10. Phases of the Moon • The key to understanding moon phases is: although the sun always shines on the same side of the moon, the moon is not always in the same place while orbiting Earth with respect to the sun. That sounds confusing, so let's work through a little diagram so you can visually see this and figure it out.

11. New Moon • The phase known as New Moon can not actually be seen because the illuminated side of the Moon is then pointed away from Earth. The rest of the phases are familiar to all of us as the Moon cycles through them month after month. Did you realize that the word month is derived from the Moon's 29.5 day period?

13. The Moon • If you look at the Moon when it is nearly full you can see the dark areas which are known as the seas. (They are all given Latin names, such as Mare Serenitatis – the Sea of Serenity, or Mare Frigoris – the Sea of Cold).These are not really seas but are huge expanses of smooth dark lava. 

14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaqrQyTm9B4 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exIpL0Uhr_k • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXseTWTZlks • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhokvJZFURg

15. Lunar Eclipse • A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth. A lunar eclipse can last up to an hour and a half. During a lunar eclipse the moon may turn a reddish color. It is not dangerous at all to look at a lunar eclipse because the moon does not make its own light.

16. Lunar Eclipse • Lunar eclipses occur when a full moon passes through Earth's shadow. Earth's shadow has two parts—the inner full shadow, or umbra, and the outer partial shadow, or penumbra. The moon darkens as it passes through the penumbra, then turns reddish-orange while within the umbra.

17. Lunar Eclipse • Though the moon is totally within Earth's umbra in the middle of this sequence, the moon is dimly lit by sunlight bending through Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere filters out most of the blue light, making the moon appear a reddish color. The moon lightens again as it passes through the other side of the penumbra, then returns to normal brightness as it exits Earth's shadow.

18. Lunar Eclipse • Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch. You don't need any kind of protective filters. It isn't even necessary to use a telescope. You can watch the lunar eclipse with nothing more than your own two eyes. • During the five thousand year period from 2000 BCE through 3000 CE, there are 7,718 eclipses of the Moon (partial and total). This averages out to about one and a half eclipses each year. Actually, the number of lunar eclipses in a single year can range from 0 to 3.

19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7G72DYAXUY • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHxcWSiD_4E

20. Interesting Facts • The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite. A natural satellite is a space body that orbits a planet, a planet like object or an asteroid. • It is the fifth largest moon in the Solar System. Learn more about the other moons in the Solar System. • The average distance from the Moon to the Earth is 384403 kilometres (238857 miles). • The Moon orbits the Earth every 27.3 days.