Highland Climate Festival Nature-Connection Activities

Learn the Phases of the Moon

This activity is to learn about the Phases of the Moon.

As the moon orbits the earth, the angle of the moon and its relationship to the Earth and the Sun changes the way that the moon is illuminated. The changing Moon shapes are called phases.

There are eight Moon phases:

New: We cannot see the Moon when it is a new moon.

Waxing Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waxing crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the right.

First Quarter: We see the first quarter phase as a half moon.

Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon. Waxing means it is getting bigger.

Full: We can see the Moon completely illuminated during full moons.

Waning Gibbous: The waning gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon. Waning means it is getting smaller.

Third Quarter: We see the third quarter moon as a half moon, too. It is the opposite half as illuminated in the first quarter moon.

Waning Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waning crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the left.

The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days. The Moon spends the extra 2.2 days ‘catching up’ because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth.