These changes in appearance are the phases of the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, it cycles through eight distinct phases. The four primary phases of the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon ...

Waxing crescent Moon – less than half of the visible surface is illuminated (starts as a thin, curved sliver) and getting larger. There are eight phases of the Moon beginning with the new Moon ...

Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back to our planet changes. That creates different lunar phases. The next Full Moon ...