Moon's Surface

The portion of the moon that we can see from Earth on any given night is called the moon’s phase.

As the moon orbits around the Earth, sunlight is reflected off the moon’s surface and that light reaches us on Earth.

The phase of the moon depends on where the moon is in its orbit.

The moon does not produce any light on its own.

The light we see coming from the moon is actually light reflected from the sun, kind of like a mirror.

The part of the moon that we see is the part that is receiving light from the sun at that time

The sun is the strongest source of light in our solar system.

Every moon and planet that is visible in our solar system is reflecting light from the sun.

The reflected light enters our eyes and that is what allows us to see.

As the moon orbits the Earth, we can see a different amount of the moon is lit by the sun from our perspective on Earth.

Sometimes the moon is completely lit, and other times it is completely dark.

This happens because the Moon is orbiting the Earth, just like the Earth is orbiting the Sun

The illuminated shape of the moon that is visible from Earth is called a phase.

When you cannot see the moon at all, this phase is called a new moon.

Several days after a new moon, we see the moon as a thin sliver of light called the crescent moon.

As the moon appears larger and larger, it becomes a quarter moon and gibbous moon.

A full moon is visible when the whole side of the moon facing Earth is completely illuminated by the sun.

On a clear night, a full moon looks very bright.