How moon looks like during rotation?

What is Moon?

The moon is a ball of rock which we can see in the sky. Sometimes we see it shining brightly in the night sky. Sometimes it appears in the sky during the daytime.

People have different ways of describing the Moon. Some people think that the full Moon looks like a person’s face. In other parts of the world, people say they can see a rabbit, a moose or a dragon.

The Moon’s changing face

The shape of the Moon seems to change as the day pass. We say that the Moon shows different phases. There is a pattern in these changes.

The full Moon is when the Moon’s face is a complete circle.

The new Moon is when the Moon’s face is completely dark.

It takes about two weeks for the Moon to change from new Moon to full Moon. After another two weeks it returns to being a new Moon.

Reflecting sunlight

The Moon is a cold object. It does not give out its own light. We see the Moon because it reflects sunlight.

The Moon is shaped like a sphere. Only half of the Moon is lit up by sunlight. The other half is in darkness, so we cannot see it.

Explaining the Moon’s phases

The Moon is in orbit around the Earth. It takes about one month to complete an orbit.

The diagram shows the Moon at different points in its orbit. The side of the Moon facing the Sun is always bright. The phase of the Moon changes because we see it from different angles.

When the Moon is in the same direction as the Sun, its dark side faces Earth. This is when we see a new Moon.

When the Moon is in the opposite direction to the Sun its sunlit side faces Earth. We see a full Moon.