Astronomy › Section D · Earth, Moon, and sky › Topic D.4
Phases and motions of the Moon
Every month the Moon grows from an invisible new moon to a brilliant full moon and back again. The cause is not Earth's shadow but simple geometry: how much of the Moon's sunlit half we happen to face.
In this topic
- Half lit, always
- The cycle of phases
- When the Moon rises and sets
- Worked example: reading an evening crescent
- Two kinds of month
- Worked example: from sidereal to synodic month
- Not Earth's shadow
- The face that never turns away
- The Moon in culture and myth
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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