Moon phases12/13/2023 The moon phase we see from Earth is the portion of the moon that is lit up by the Sun, which can range from zero percent illuminated (new moon) to 100 percent illuminated (full moon).Ĭhanges in moon phases as the Moon orbits Earth based on sunlight | McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Centre What causes the Moon Phases?Īs mentioned above, the moon goes through a cycle of phases each month as it orbits Earth and each phase is dependent on the moon’s position in relation to the Sun. The near side of the Moon as seen from Earth. The amount of near side that is seen, depends on the amount of available sunlight. This orbit has been affected by the Earth’s gravitational pull which has helped to slow the moon’s orbit causing the moon and Earth to be synchronized.ĭue to this synchronization, we only ever see the ‘near side’ of the moon from Earth, which is only half of the lunar total surface. It takes the moon the same amount of time to orbit the Earth as it does to complete a full rotation on its axis (i.e. It may help to know a little about the moon’s orbit to understand what is happening during each of the moon phases. This widget was provided by, a website that includes many astronomy tools including a night sky guide and an interactive planetarium. You can also use the following tool to see the current moon phase for today’s date. This will tell you the current moon cycle for today’s date. You can also use Today’s Moon Phase from Moon Giant.
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