explain phases of moon
Answers
The phases of the moon are the different ways the moon looks from earth over about a month , as the moon orbits around the earth , the half of the moon that faces the sun will be lit up the different shapes of the lit portion of the moon that can be seen from Earth are known as phases of the moon....✌️✌️
The phases of the Moon :-
The Moon revolves around the Earth. It completes one revolution around the Earth in 27.3 days. The Moon also rotates on its axis like a slowly spinning top. It takes about the same time ( 27.3 days ) to complete one rotation around its axis. That is why the same half of the Moon always faces the Earth. As the Moon revolves around the Earth, one half of the Moon receives sunlight, while the other half remains dark. Because of the difference in the speed of rotation and revolution of the Earth and the Moon, we do not always see the entire lighted half of the Moon. Most of the time, we can see only a part of the bright side of the Moon. Because of this, the Moon appears to change shapes. The different shapes of the Moon, as seen from the Earth, are called the phases of the Moon. The phase of the Moon in which the entire side of the Moon facing the Earth gets sunlight is called the full moon. After 3-4 days, we can see a portion of the Moon which is slightly smaller than the size of a full moon. This is called the gibbous moon. After a week from seeing the full moon, we see half of the Moon. This is the half moon phase. After 3-4 more days ( or 11-12 days after the full moon ), we can see a bow-shaped curved moon. This is called the crescent moon. Thereafter, 2-3 days later ( or 14-15 days after the full moon ), we cannot see the Moon at all. This phase of the Moon in which the side facing the Earth gets no sunlight is called the new moon. After the new moon phase, the bright portion of the Moon increases. We again see the full moon after 14-15 days. When the size of the bright part of the Moon appears to grow, it is called a waxing moon. When its size appears to decrease, it is called a waning moon. The time taken from one new moon to the next is called a lunar month. A lunar month is about 29 days.
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