The moon’s phases are caused by its orbit around the Earth, with different levels of its surface lit up. Cultures have associated certain phases with events and beliefs. Lunar and solar eclipses are rare due to the angled orbits. The appearance of the phases varies around the world due to the angles of the moon, Earth, and sun.
The phases of the moon are different phases in the cycle of the moon’s orbit around the Earth. As the moon moves, people on Earth see various levels of its surface lit up, from a new moon, where the moon can’t be seen at all, to a full moon, where people see the entire portion of the moon lit up. from the Sun. This cycle takes just under 30 days to complete and can collectively be known as the lunar cycle.
People have been following the phases of the moon for thousands of years. The apparent waxing and waning of the moon was clearly visible to human societies, and many cultures based their measurements of the months around the movements of the moon. They also associated particular phases with various events and beliefs. For example, some cultures believed that waning moons were associated with poor results in new endeavors.
The phases of the moon are quite easily explained by astronomy. At any given time, half of the moon and half of the Earth are illuminated by sunlight. As the moon orbits the Earth, people standing on the Earth can see different levels of the illuminated area. When the moon is between the Earth and the Sun, the lighted side faces out, creating a new moon. Full moons occur in the opposite situation, when the Earth is between the moon and the sun.
One might expect a constant cycle of lunar and solar eclipses that would correspond to the phases of the moon, except that the orbits of the Earth and the moon are angled, rather than occurring in a straight line. This means that the perfect alignment needed for an eclipse is actually quite rare.
When the moon is waxing, it is said to be “waxing,” while a “waning” moon is shrinking. In the northern hemisphere, the phases of the moon move from the right side to the left side of the lunar surface: if only the right quarter is illuminated, the moon is waxing towards full, while a small sliver of darkness on the right side of the moon indicates that the moon is waning. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere, and along the equator, waxing and waning moons actually appear in a horizontal alignment.
The variation in the appearance of the moon’s phases around the world is explained by the relationship between the angles of the moon, the Earth and the sun. The angle changes will alter how people see the moon, depending on where they are. These variations also explain why sunrise and sunset occur at different times.
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