Phases of the moon

Instructions

[THIS IS NOT MADE TO SCALE (size or time)] When the moon orbits counterclockwise around the Earth, it has phases due to the reflection fr the sun. These 3 bodies make up the Earth-Sun-Moon system. Here are some more facts about the 3 of them. -Sun The sun is in the center of our solar system. The nearest solar system nearby is alpha centauri, a system 4.3 light years away. -Earth The Earth-along with the other planets and asteroids and who knows what else in our solar system-all revolve around the Sun. Its axis, an imaginary line that skewers through the north and south pole, generates a magnetic field, which is why compasses always point north. It takes 23 hours and 56 minutes to complete a single day-but who's counting? This is caused by its rotation. When it rotates, half of it is always lit and the other half is not (sorry, other half). This creates day and night. Also, the Earth is actually slightly tilted, which gives us our seasons. -Moon The moon is just a chunk of Earth that was chipped off by a mars sized meteor that collided with Earth some billion years ago. When it rotates around the Earth, only one side is visible, also known as the lit side. While doing that, it also interacts with the Suns rays, so it creates phases. The phases are below: New moon The Moon is in between the Earth and Sun, therefore not visible. Waxing crescent It forms an angle to the sun, making it a little bit visible, forming a crescent shape. First quarter Sometimes known as a "half moon", this phase is the first fourth of its entire cycle. It is perpendicular to the sun and moon, so half of it is lit, but we can only see 1/2 of that half. Waxing gibbous The moon is ALMOST full-but not quite! It formed an angle opposite of the waxing gibbous, so only the crescent shape isn't visible. Full moon Halfway through its phase, the moon is behind the Earth, so it collects all of the 'remaining' light left over from the interacting light with Earth. Waning gibbous The moon is almost full again-but it wont be for another month. The moon will only get smaller from here. It is mirrored to the Waxing gibbous, so, like usual, it's mirrored. Third quarter 3/4 done with its cycle, the moon appears half full again, but flipped around. Waning crescent The last phase of the moon before it starts over again, it forms a crescent on the other side of the moon prior to the first phase. New moon The cycle starts all over again