Moon Phases
This phase is when the Moon looks like a full circle in the sky.
What is a full moon?
An eclipse happens when one space object does this to another.
What is blocks the light?
The Moon shines because it does this with the Sun’s light.
What is reflects it?
If the Moon looks like a full circle, name the phase.
What is the full moon?
A solar eclipse can only happen during this Moon phase.
What is a new moon?
This phase is when we can’t see the Moon at all.
What is a new moon?
This type of eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun.
What is a solar eclipse?
The Moon takes about this many days to orbit Earth.
What is 27–29 days?
If the right side is lit and growing, name the phase.
What is the waxing crescent or waxing quarter?
A lunar eclipse can only happen during this Moon phase.
What is a full moon?
This is the phase when the Moon looks like a banana or a sliver.
What is a crescent moon?
This type of eclipse happens when the Earth blocks sunlight from the Moon.
What is a lunar eclipse?
The Moon controls these movements in Earth’s oceans.
What are tides?
If the Moon looks almost full but not quite, name the phase.
What is the waxing gibbous?
This is the reason we don’t have an eclipse every month.
What is the Moon’s tilted orbit?
When the Moon looks half-lit, like a “D” or “C,” we call it this.
What is a quarter moon?
You must NEVER look directly at this kind of eclipse without special glasses.
What is a solar eclipse?
The same side of the Moon always faces Earth because it does this.
What is rotates at the same speed it orbits?
If the Moon is shrinking and looks like a sliver on the left, name the phase.
What is the waning crescent?
The Moon phase cycle is also called this.
What is the lunar cycle?
When the Moon is growing, we say it is doing this.
What is waxing?
This is the dark inner shadow of an eclipse.
What is the umbra?
These darker areas on the Moon were once thought to be seas.
What are maria?
When the Moon is shrinking and half-lit, name the phase.
What is the last quarter (or third quarter)?
During a lunar eclipse, the Moon may appear this color.
What is red (or copper), known as a "blood moon"?