Moon Phases

Moon Phasesby: Gianni Mirabello

The first quarter moon looks like a half moon.

A waxing crescent looks like a smiley face that’s open to the west.

The waxing gibbous moon is greater than half but not quite a full moon moving towards the west.

The new moon isn’t visible but if it was it would be a full moon.

Like a waxing gibbous moon, a waning gibbous moon is greater than half but not quite a full moon moving towards the east

Like the first quarter moon, the third quarter moon looks like half of a circle except it’s flipped around.

A full moon is 99% visible and has the average brightness.

Like a waxing crescent, a waning crescent looks like a smiley face except it’s open to the east.