It's not difficult kids. The phases of the moon are purely due to what parts of the moon are illuminated by the sun.
The sun always half illuminates the moon, just like night and day on Earth. When you see a cresecent moon, and only see a "fingernail" of it, the remaining part that is illuminated is on the other side of the moon.
When its a half moon, the other bit of the illuminated half is round the other side
When its a full moon, the sun is shining full on the face we see. The back of the moon from us will be dark and in its nightime.
When the moon is new, the reverse side of the moon is illuminated and our side is dark, so we don;t see it.
If you looked back at the earth from the moon it would show the same phases in exactly the same way.
My goodness what do they teach you at school.
2006-09-18
17:55:37
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5 answers
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asked by
nick s
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Astronomy & Space