English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

The moon has many different phases because when it orbits, the sun reflects it at many different angles causing us to see it as different shapes. In the process of it orbiting around it changes the shape of how we view it.

Please tell the truth lol because i really need a good grade also for your answer can you please give examples. Thank you.Also if I am wrong may you please correct me.

2007-05-29 14:27:29 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Astronomy & Space

4 answers

Since the Moon is basically a ball it shows different phases because of the orientation between the Sun Earth and the Moon.
If you look at the three objects from overhead in their orbit, when the moon is at the 12:00 position (imagine the face of a clock with the Earth in the center and the Moon traveling around the face and the Sun is off to the left) or straight up then when we see the reflected light from the Sun it is illuminating the half that faces the Sun. We see the first quarter Moon. As the Moon travels around the face of the clock to the 3:00 position the Sun's rays illuminate the whole ball so we see a full Moon.
As the moon circles around the Earth to the 6:00 position we again only see half of the sphere illuminated and we see the last quarter Moon.
As the Moon circles around to the 9:00 position (between the Earth and the Sun) we don't see the illumination all all so now we have the New Moon. It is at this point that we sometimes see a total solar eclipse.
This is the complete lunar cycle. Obviously the celestial spheres orbit in a three dimensional order and the example I have given is only two dimensional but it conveys why there are the different phases.

2007-05-29 15:57:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anthony W 3 · 0 0

..., the suns rays are blocked in various amounts by the Earth as the Moon orbits around the it...causing us to see it as different shapes. The orbiting motion causes the shape to change from a thin crescent to a partially Full Moon, a Full Moon, and back to a reversed crescent shape again.

2007-05-29 14:38:39 · answer #2 · answered by zahbudar 6 · 0 3

Horrible grammar, poor science. Is English your native language?

Google
lunar phases 1.26 million hits

Time to grow up.

2007-05-29 14:41:12 · answer #3 · answered by Uncle Al 5 · 0 0

THE progression OF A (use 'a' different than there could be a pair of, then you definately could desire to could desire to make 'acquire' plural) planned purchase OF REFRIGERATED LPG (write this acronym out) grant FROM KUWAIT PETROLEUM large detect. :-)

2016-10-06 07:05:26 · answer #4 · answered by truesdale 4 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers