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Astronomy History

What are Moon Phases?

March 3, 2024 | by Bloom Code Studio

The Moon’s shape appears to change throughout the month, and its shapes are called the phases of the Moon. They are a result of our orbit around the Sun combined with the Moon’s orbit around Earth. 

Lunar phases
 This image shows the phases of the Moon and why they happen. The center ring shows the Moon as it orbits around the Earth, as seen from above the north pole. Sunlight illuminates half the Earth and half the moon at all times. But as the Moon orbits around the Earth, at some points in its orbit the sunlit part of the Moon can be seen from the Earth. At other points, we can only see the parts of the Moon that are in shadow. The outer ring shows what we see on the Earth during each corresponding part of the moon’s orbit. NASA

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