Before we delve into each phase individually, let's take a moment to orient ourselves in the moon phases diagram below, beginning with imagining Earth at the center of this illustration and the ...

The Moon's phases are caused by changing sunlight reflection as it orbits Earth. Lunar eclipses happen during a Full Moon, solar eclipses during a New Moon. Solar eclipses can be partial, annular ...

Let me start with a diagram (not to scale) showing the cubical moon at different locations around the Earth. In this diagram, the sun is to the left. Notice that the side (or sides) of the cube ...

As the phases are the moon are caused by the moon's orbit around Earth, they are entirely predictable. In fact, it is possible to work out the dates we'd see these phases for the next 50 million ...

Phases of the moon. The moon, like Earth, is a sphere, and it is always half-illuminated by the sun. As the moon travels around Earth, we see more or less of the illuminated half.

Every month Earth's moon goes through its phases, waning and waxing in its constant transformation from new moon to full moon and back again. This lunar cycle happens in part because the moon does ...

Let's say we want to build a model of the sun and Earth alone. Earth has a radius of about 6,371 kilometers (3,959 miles), but let's represent this with a marble 1 centimeter in diameter.

Though a Full Moon only occurs during the exact moment when Earth, Moon, and Sun form a perfect alignment, to our eyes, the Moon seems Full for around three days. RELATED: 20 things to see on the Moon ...

The moon takes approximately 29.5 days to orbit Earth meaning that its cycle lasts around four weeks and a first quarter moon happens around once a month.

The Earth is constantly travelling around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth. When you look up at the night sky, you may have noticed how the Moon appears to change shape.