What are the phases of the moon?
Q: What are the phases of the moon?
A: The phases of the Moon are the different ways the Moon looks from Earth over about a month.
Q: How is the lit portion of the Moon determined?
A: The half of the Moon that faces the Sun will be lit up.
Q: What are the different shapes of the lit portion of the Moon?
A: The different shapes of the lit portion of the Moon that can be seen from Earth are known as phases of the Moon.
Q: How long does it take for each phase to repeat itself?
A: Each phase repeats itself every 29.5 days.
Q: Why does the same half of the Moon always face the Earth?
A: The same half of the Moon always faces the Earth because of tidal locking.
Q: Do the phases occur over the same half of the Moon's surface?
A: Yes, the phases will always occur over the same half of the Moon's surface.
Q: What is a phase?
A: A phase is an angle of the moon to the earth so it appears differently every day.
