Guiding Questions 1. How does the Moon move around Earth? 2. Why does the shape of the Moon appear to change? When the Moon is a big, bright circle in the night sky is is very easy to notice! The full moon is the brightest object in our night sky. But, if you observe the moon each night you notice that it appears to change shape. For about two weeks after the Full Moon phase Earth's moon appears to become smaller, and smaller, until finally it is no longer visible. If you wait a few days, you can see the Moon again, just after the New Moon phase. Watch it for another two weeks as it appears to grow bigger, and bigger! Ultimately, it becomes a big Full Moon again, and the approximately four week cycle continues. Why does this happen? One more thing that is important to know when you are learning about the Moon is that Lunar Phases and Moon Phases are the same thing. "Luna" is another name for Earth's moon. Diagram of the Moon's phases: The Earth is at the center of the diagram and the Moon is shown orbiting (dashed circle). The Sun lights half of the Moon and Earth from the right-side. The phase of the Moon is shown next to the corresponding position of the Moon in its orbit around Earth. The phase is as seen in the Northern hemisphere of the Earth. Diagram: By Andonee - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38635547 Activity
Standards For This Lesson 6.MS-ESS1-1a Develop and use a model of the Earth-Sun-Moon system to explain the causes of lunar phases and eclipses of the Sun and Moon. Additional Resources
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