Phases of the Moon
Class 8 Science: stars and the solar system (phases of the Moon)
Move the Moon round the Earth and see why it changes shape through the month: new moon, crescent, half moon, gibbous and full moon.
Words to know
- Phases
- The changing shapes of the bright part of the Moon that we see through the month.
- New moon
- The night when we cannot see the Moon because its lit half faces away from us.
- Full moon
- The night when we see the whole lit half of the Moon as a round disc.
- Waxing
- Growing: the lit part gets bigger each night after the new moon.
- Waning
- Shrinking: the lit part gets smaller each night after the full moon.
Quick check
Answer 3 questions to check what you learned.
Try at home
Look at the Moon at the same time for five nights and draw its shape each night. Is it waxing or waning?