The Moon

ASU, AZ February 6, 2020 @ 15:58

The moon reflects light from the Sun and that is why it glows in the night sky. As the moon rotates around the Earth during its lunar cycle that is when we see the different phases of the moon.

In the picture above, we used Oreo cookies to model the different phases of the moon. If the sun were located behind the cookie with no icing, and we are standing on Earth observing the moon as it rotates around Earth, you can see how the moon takes its different shape. When the Earth is between the sun and the moon, that is when we have a full moon. There are times when the Earth, moon and sun line up exactly and that is when we have eclipses. When the moon nears the full moon and goes away from it we have the gibbous moon, which is like a 3/4 moon. When the Moon is 90º from the sun and the Earth, we see the quarter moon. When the moon is between the Earth and the sun it is called a new moon. We cannot see it because the sun is so bright that it blocks out the moon. Just like the stars disappear when the sun is out. When it gets night out to where we can see the new moon, the moon is located on the other side of Earth between the sun. When the moon is nearing close and drawing away from a new moon we have the crescent moon.

Did you know, how long it takes the moon to orbit the Earth? It takes approximately 27 days for the moon to circle around the Earth. It also takes this same amount of time for the moon to do a full rotation. That is why we are always seeing the same side of the moon.