1. How long does it take the moon to complete one lunar cycle? 2. What is the difference between a waxing moon and waning moon? 3. How does the appearance of the moon change over four weeks? 4

1. How long does it take the moon to complete one lunar cycle? 2. What is the difference between a waxing moon and waning moon? 3. How does the appearance of the moon change over four weeks? 4. What is the current phase of the moon? (you may need to look thisI I up)What will the next phase of the moon be? 5. Where does the moon get its light? 6. How would you describe the pattern of changes in the lunar cycle? 7. What are the positions of the Sun and the Earth during a full moon? 8. What is the new moon and what causes it? 9. During what phase of the moon is it possible to observe a lunar eclipse? 10. During what phase of the moon Is it possible to observe a solar eclipse?Passage to helpLunar Phases By Lynda R. Williams When you look up at the night sky, you may have noticed that the moon does not always look the same. The different shapes we see are called the phases of the moon or lunar phases. Of course the moon does not really change shape. The phases of the moon are caused by the Sun’s light reflecting off the moon’s surface in combination with the orbit of the moon around the Earth. When the moon is at its new phase, the side opposite from us is fully lit by the Sun. We cannot see the side of the moon that is unlit. Two days after the new moon, which is the start of the lunar cycle, the moon has moved enough for a small portion of the lit side to be seen. This is when we see the waxing crescent. The moon revolves around the Earth. It takes about 29.5 days for the moon to complete its orbit around the Earth. The phase that we see is dependent on the amount of the sunlit side of the moon that is facing the Earth at that time. As the moon continues to travel around the Earth each month, the phases move from new moon to full moon. In order to fully picture what each phase looks looks like as viewed from Earth, you must imagine yourself standing on Earth and looking up at the moon. While doing this you can see that while the moon is waxing, the right-hand side of the moon will be bright. While the moon is waning, the left-hand side of the moon will be bright. You must also always remember where the Sun is in comparison to the Earth and moon.