Waxing crescent moon

The phase of the Moon or lunar phase is the sunlit shape of the Moon we see from Earth.

8 phases of the moon definitions

Here are the names of the 8 phases of the Moon and a look at how they work. Also, learn how the phase of the Moon relates to lunar eclipses.

• In order, the phases are: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent.
• At a new moon, the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth.
• At a full moon, the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon.
• A total lunar eclipse only happens during a full moon, when the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon..
• The new moon isn’t completely invisible because light reflected back from the Earth (Earthshine) weakly illuminates the Moon.

The Lunar Cycle

The phases of the Moon are a cycle that repeats each synodic month (~29.53 days) because of the changing positions of the Sun and Moon relative to Earth.

There are a total of eight lunar phases.

• Principal Phases: The four principal lunar phases are new moon, first quarter, full moon, and third quarter (which is also called final
  how long is one moon phase
  how many days is each moon phase