Moon cycles: What are the different phases of the moon cycles?

The moon is the natural satellite of the earth. You may have noticed that the moon is slightly different every other day. This is because the moon is going through phases.

What is a moon phase?

To understand the reason for the different phases of the moon, you need to understand what a moon cycle is. 

Firstly, the moon does not have its light. It reflects the light of the sun. The sun’s rays hit the moon and this is why we can see the moon shine at night. 

Secondly, the moon orbits the Earth. It orbits the Earth. Because it is constantly in motion, not all of the moon receives sunlight. This is why we see only a part of the moonshine. The part of the moon that receives the sunlight is the part of the moon you can see from the earth.

What are the different phases of the moon?

New moon: This is when the unilluminated face of the moon faces the earth. This is when you see no moon in the sky.

Waxing Crescent: This is when you see the silver of the moon in the sky. When the day-part of the moon is mostly facing away from the earth. This is called a crescent moon and looks like a ‘C’.

First Quarter: The first quarter moon is also known as the half-moon. You can see more of the moon than just a crescent. It rises at noon and sets at midnight.

Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous moon phase is more illuminated than a ‘half-moon’. It is not a complete full moon, but it is not a half moon either. 

Full moon: During the full moon phase, the illuminated side of the moon faces the earth and we see a full, circular moon. It tends to light up the night with its silver light.

Waning Gibbous: This is when the moon is turning away again. The moon decreases in size and this phase comes after the full-moon phase.

Third Quarter: The third quarter is also known as the last quarter. The half-illuminated portion of the moon faces the Earth, making the moon look half.

Waning Crescent: During the waning crescent moon phase, you can see only silver or white. This is because only a small portion of the moon faces the earth, making a small crescent illuminated and visible. 

What are moon cycles and moon phases?

The moon cycle is the cycle of the moon around the sun.

It takes about 28 days for the moon to orbit the Earth. As the moon orbits the Earth, the moon tends to change its phases. There are 8 different phases of the moon; four primary phases and four secondary phases.

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Why does the moon cycle occur?

The moon does not have its light. It reflects the light of the sun. And because it is continuously orbiting the Earth, only part of the moon receives the sunlight. The moon absorbs the sunlight and reflects a portion of it. It is this portion of the reflected sunlight that we see from Earth.

Conclusion

It takes 29.5 days for a moon to orbit the Earth. During this moon cycle, the moon goes through 8 different phases. The earth is interesting in itself but, even the heavenly body outside is equally amazing.

FAQs

1. What are the 8 moon cycles?

The 8 moon cycles are waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent.

2. Are all the moon cycles 28 days?

It usually takes 29.5 days for a moon to cycle the Earth. During the sidereal month, it takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes to orbit the earth and complete a cycle.

3. How long is a 12-moon cycle?

A lunar year or 12-moon cycle takes about 354 days.

4. Are moon cycles monthly?

Yes, moon cycles complete in a month.

5. What is a full moon cycle?

It is the time interval between a full moon and the repetition of the same phase. It lasts about 29.53 days.