Cordi's Phases Of The Moon Quiz

The phases of the Moon reoccur because the Moon is in continuous orbit around the Earth. As the Moon moves in its orbit, different portions of its illuminated surface become visible from Earth, creating the different phases we observe. This occurs because of the changing positions of the Moon, Earth, and the Sun, which cause different amounts of sunlight to be reflected by the Moon towards Earth.

There are 8 main phases of the Moon that we can see/

The Sun is the correct answer because it is the primary source of light for the Moon. As the Moon orbits around the Earth, the Sun's light illuminates different parts of the Moon's surface, causing phases such as full moon, half moon, and new moon. When half of the Moon is lit, it means that the Sun is directly shining on that side of the Moon, while the other half remains in shadow.

The Moon orbits Earth because it is trapped in Earth's gravitational field. Gravitational force between two objects depends on their masses and distance between them. The Moon is significantly smaller than Earth, so it experiences a stronger gravitational pull towards Earth. This gravitational force acts as a centripetal force, keeping the Moon in a stable orbit around Earth.

The phase called "New Moon" is when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, causing the side of the Moon that faces the Earth to be completely dark. During this phase, the Moon is not visible from Earth because the illuminated side is facing away from us. Sometimes, this alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth can result in a solar eclipse, where the Moon blocks the Sun's light from reaching certain areas on Earth.

They are similar because every orbit shape is circular or ovular, so when Venus orbits around the Sun, we see phases that look like the Phases of the Moon, but we are in a different position.

The correct order of the phases of the Moon starts with the New Moon, followed by the Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and finally the Waning Crescent. This sequence represents the different stages of the Moon's illumination as seen from Earth, starting with a completely dark Moon (New Moon) and gradually progressing to a fully illuminated Moon (Full Moon), before decreasing in illumination again.

After the Full Moon, the Moon's appearance begins waning. This means that the illuminated portion of the Moon starts to decrease, gradually becoming less visible from Earth. Waning occurs as the Moon moves from the Full Moon phase towards the Last Quarter phase.

After the First Quarter phase, the moon moves towards the Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase occurs when more than half of the moon is illuminated but not yet fully illuminated like in the Full Moon phase. The Waxing Gibbous phase is characterized by a growing illuminated area of the moon, appearing as a large crescent shape.

The Moon orbits Earth in a circular path and also in an ovular path. The circular orbit refers to the Moon's path around Earth being in the shape of a perfect circle. The ovular orbit refers to the Moon's path being slightly elliptical, meaning it is not a perfect circle but rather elongated or stretched out. This means that the Moon's distance from Earth varies slightly throughout its orbit.