Lunar cycle

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Questions and Answers

What causes the moon to appear illuminated?

  • Presence of artificial lighting
  • Its own light
  • Reflection of earth's light
  • Reflection of sunlight (correct)

During which lunar phase does the moon become nearly invisible?

  • Waning crescent
  • New moon (correct)
  • First quarter
  • Waxing gibbous

What happens to the moon's appearance during its lunar cycle?

  • It remains constant
  • It gets bigger (waxing) (correct)
  • It gets smaller (waning)
  • It becomes invisible

At which phase does the moon appear as a crescent shape?

<p>Waxing crescent (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long does it take for the moon to complete its journey back to the new moon phase?

<p>~29.5 days (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When is the moon's lit area half visible during its cycle?

<p>First quarter phase (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'gibbous' mean in relation to the moon's appearance?

<p>Convex (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phase of the Moon occurs when the entire face is visible from Earth?

<p>Waxing Gibbous (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When does the Moon appear as a half-circle with half of its near side illuminated?

<p>First Quarter (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phase of the moon occurs after the Waxing Gibbous phase?

<p>Full Moon (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phase of the Moon occurs when the Moon's Sun-facing edge is shrinking to a thin sliver of light?

<p>Waning Crescent (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

During which lunar phase does the moon appear as a half-circle with half of its near side illuminated?

<p>Third Quarter (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

At which phase does the Moon appear past Full but not yet at Third Quarter, with most of its face still illuminated?

<p>Waxing Gibbous (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When does the moon's illuminated portion decrease as it moves through its cycle?

<p>Full Moon (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When does the Moon appear completely illuminated by sunlight?

<p>Full Moon (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the phase of the moon when it is not visible from Earth?

<p>Waxing Crescent (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

At which phase does the Moon's Sun-facing edge shrink to a thin sliver of light, with only a small crescent-shaped portion remaining visible?

<p>Third Quarter (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

  • The moon appears to emit light but in reality, it's the sun's light reflected off its surface.
  • The moon revolves around the earth at a fixed orbit without its own light.
  • When the moon is in the middle of the earth and the sun, it becomes nearly invisible due to lack of sunlight, known as the new moon.
  • As the moon moves in its orbit, sunlight begins to fall on some parts of it, causing it to appear as a crescent shape in the waxing phase.
  • In about a week, the moon's lit area becomes half visible during the first quarter phase.
  • After the first quarter, the moon continues to orbit and the lit area becomes more than half visible, in the waxing gibbous phase.
  • In about two weeks, the moon is fully illuminated during the full moon phase.
  • After the full moon, the moon enters the waning stage where the lit area begins to decrease, starting with the waning gibbous phase.
  • The moon returns to a crescent that's less than half full in the waning crescent phase and completes its journey back to the new moon phase in about 29.5 days.
  • The moon's appearance changes from getting bigger (waxing) to smaller (waning) during its lunar cycle.
  • The term "gibbous" means rounded or convex and has been used for centuries to describe the moon's appearance during the waxing gibbous phase.

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