🌙 Why does the moon change shape?

The moon changes shape because it moves around the Earth 🌍! When the moon is between the Earth and the sun, we can't see it—this is called a New Moon. When the Earth is between the sun and the moon, we see a big, round Full Moon 🌕! The moon doesn't really change—it just looks different from Earth.

Sometimes it looks like a banana 🍌, and other times like a big circle!

The moon changes shape because of its position relative to the Earth and the sun. This is called the lunar phases 🌓. The moon orbits the Earth every 29.5 days, and depending on where it is, we see different parts of it lit by the sun.

Phases of the Moon:

• New Moon – The moon is between the Earth and the sun (we can't see it).
• Waxing Crescent – A small banana-shaped sliver appears.
• First Quarter – Half of the moon is lit (looks like a D).
• Full Moon – The whole moon is bright and round.
• Waning Gibbous – The moon starts shrinking.
• Last Quarter – Half-lit again (looks like a C).
• Waning Crescent – A thin sliver before the New Moon.

The moon's changing shape, or lunar phases, happens because of its orbit around Earth and the angle of sunlight reflecting off it. The moon doesn't produce light—it reflects the sun's light 🌞. As the moon moves, different portions of its sunlit side become visible from Earth.

Key Concepts:

• The moon takes about 27.3 days to orbit Earth (sidereal month), but a full lunar cycle (synodic month) is 29.5 days due to Earth's movement around the sun.
• Waxing means the moon appears to grow (from New Moon to Full Moon).
• Waning means it appears to shrink (from Full Moon to New Moon).
• The same side of the moon always faces Earth (tidal locking).

Fun fact: Ancient civilizations used moon phases to track time before calendars existed! ⏳