Why are there phases of the Moon

The Moon is the only satellite of our planet, and therefore one of the celestial bodies that causes the most curiosity in human beings. The Moon changes a lot depending on what day of the month we are, being able to go through numerous phases, very different from each other. For all this, today in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about why are there lunar phases.

Moon it is the only satellite of the Earth, that is to say, a small celestial body that orbits around our planet. The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the entire Solar System, and the largest in proportion to the planet of which it is a satellite.

The Moon, like the Earth, performs two movements: one of rotation, that is, it rotates on itself, and another of translation, that is, the movement that the satellite makes when it rotates on our planet. Both movements make the Moon always face the same face to the Earth, which is why the other part is often called "the hidden face", being known from the photographs of the astronauts.

Moon shines thanks to the light it receives from the sun, so depending on the area you are in, we see some parts illuminated and others not, this is known as the lunar phases, these phases being the following:

• New Moon
• full moon
• Crescent quarter
• Last quarter

In this other lesson we discover you why are there stars in space.

To continue with this lesson on why there are phases of the Moon we must talk about the different phases of the moon, how many there are and why they occur.

The lunar phases are the change of the visible part of the Moon depending on how it receives sunlight, due to the change in position with respect to the Earth and the Sun. The cycle lasts 29.5 days, a period in which the Moon lights up little by little for two weeks until it is completely illuminated, and later it gradually loses this illumination.

The lunar phases are mainly 4, but sometimes there are 4 others, which are interspersed between the 4 main phases. To fully understand the moon phases we must know these 8 stages, to understand the total process of the moon phase.

1st phase: new moon

The first phase is the New Moon, also known as the Black Moon. The Moon in this phase is between the Sun and the Earth, so its illuminated side is impossible to see, being hidden from view from our planet.

The second stage is the so-called Crescent Moon, which happens about 4 days after the New Moon, in This phase the Moon is shaped like a horn, and receives its name because the illuminated area increases day by day.

2nd phase: First quarter

The third and second main phase is the so-called Crescent, happening about 4 days after the waxing Moon. In the first quarter, half of the Moon is illuminated and the other half is hidden, with 50% of the satellite being visible. After the waxing quarter comes the gibbous waxing moon, a period during which the moon grows slowly little, until it is fully illuminated, throughout this stage the Moon goes from a straight shape to a much more convex.

3rd phase: full moon

The fifth and third main phase is the famous Full Moon, which happens when the Moon is fully illuminated, causing the satellite to look like a great circle. It is possibly the most adored phase of the Moon, being the protagonist of numerous stories in popular culture. A curiosity about the Full Moon is that in some countries its name can vary depending on the time of year, receiving such disparate names as the Full Moon of the Wolf or the Full Moon of the Flowers.

4th phase: Last quarter

The next lunar phase is known as the gibbous waning moon, which is the opposite of the Moon. crescent gibbous, during this stage the Moon loses its illuminated area, returning to have a concave. When the Moon has lost half of its illumination it goes to the last quarter phase, in which half of the Moon is illuminated and the other half is not, being the same as the First Quarter in appearance.

Finally there is the phase of the waning Moon, during which the Moon gradually loses its illuminated part, until it returns to the black or new Moon.