Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
Phases of the Moon The changes in how much of the Moon's lit portion we can see from Earth are called the phases of the Moon. Because the Moon is revolving around the Earth, the amount of that lit portion we can see from Earth constantly changes. The Moon Reflects Light From the Sun The Moon's surface appears bright at least part of the time each month. This is because, as the Sun's light strikes the Moon's surface, the light is reflected onto the Earth where we can see it.
The Moon does not make its own light. It reflects light from the Sun. The Moon's Phases The Sun shines on exactly one-half of the Moon, except during a lunar eclipse. From Earth, we can generally see only the part of the Moon that is lit by the Sun. The Moon's appearance changes over the period of about a month as the Moon moves in its orbit around the Earth. These changes give us the phases of the Moon. The time between one new Moon and the next is about 29½ days. When viewed from the Earth's surface, the main phases of the Moon look like the ones shown in the picture below.
The eight Moon phases shown above are: 1. new moon 2. waxing crescent moon 3. first quarter moon 4. waxing gibbous moon 5. full moon 6. waning gibbous moon 7. third quarter moon 8. waning crescent moon If the Earth, Moon, and Sun were viewed from a point out in space, the phases of the Moon would look different from how they appear from the surface of the Earth. The diagrams below, which are not to scale, show how the Earth, Moon, and Sun are placed during each of the main Moon phases. Notice that the side of the Moon that is facing the Sun is always bright because it is receiving light, and the side of the Moon that faces away from the Sun is always dark because it does not receive any of the Sun's light. Moon Positions
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
This diagram shows the different positions of the Moon. Moon Appearance from Earth
This diagram shows the Moon's appearance from Earth. The numbered labels match the diagram that shows the different positions of the Moon. Between new Moon and full Moon, the Moon is waxing. This means that it appears to grow larger. Between full Moon and new Moon, the Moon is waning, which means it appears to grow smaller.
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
Lunar Phases 7th Grade Name ______
Period 3rd 7th 8th
1. The Sun always shines on half of the Moon. During a new moon, the Moon looks dark.
Where is the lit side of the Moon during a new moon? A. The lit side faces toward the Earth.
B. The lit side faces half away from the Earth.
C. The lit side faces away from the Sun.
D. The lit side faces away from the Earth.
2. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 6? A. waning crescent
B. waning gibbous
C. first quarter
D. waxing gibbous
3. The table below shows the time that the Moon rose and set over a few days. Date Moon Rose Moon Set
March 2 4:59 a.m. 2:16 p.m. March 3 5:38 a.m. 3:14 p.m. March 4 6:11 a.m. 4:14 p.m.
Which of the following is the best prediction for the times that the Moon will rise and set on March 5? A. rise at 5:34 a.m., set at 3:18 p.m.
B. rise at 7:42 a.m., set at 6:54 p.m.
C. rise at 6:40 a.m., set at 5:14 p.m.
D. rise at 6:20 a.m., set at 4:16 p.m.
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
4. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 7? A. first quarter
B. waxing crescent
C. waning crescent
D. third quarter
5. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 6? A. waning crescent
B. new Moon
C. first quarter
D. waning gibbous
6. The phases of the Moon are caused by the changing positions of the Earth and the Moon in relation to the Sun.
Which items could best be used to represent the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon in a model that shows the phases of the Moon?
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
A. an orange, a grapefruit, and a lime
B. a flashlight, a basketball, and a softball
C. a mirror, a fan, and some string
D. a candle, a soccer ball, and a mirror
7. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 8? A. waxing crescent
B. waning crescent
C. full Moon
D. third quarter
8. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 6? A. waning gibbous
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
B. waxing crescent
C. waxing gibbous
D. first quarter
9. The diagram below shows positions of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. Half of the Moon's surface is lit by sunlight no matter what the Moon's position. But the amount of the lit surface visible from Earth varies with the Moon's position. Examine the diagram below, and answer the question that follows.
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 6? A. waxing gibbous
B. full Moon
C. waxing crescent
D. waning gibbous
10. Ana is modeling the orbit of the Moon. The light bulb represents the Sun, the large ball represents Earth, and the small ball represents the Moon. Ana moved the small ball counter-clockwise, in the direction of the arrow.
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
Based on the diagram of her model, what is the the phase of the Moon that people on Earth would see? First quarter, because people on Earth can see a quarter of the Moon illuminated and the Moon had just moved from the new moon A. position.
B. New moon, because half of the Moon's surface is illuminated, so people on Earth will see that the entire Moon looks dark.
Third quarter, because people on Earth can see a quarter of the Moon illuminated and the Moon had just moved from the full moon C. position.
D. Full moon, because half of the Moon's surface is illuminated, so people on Earth will see the Moon's shape as a full circle.
11. The Moon orbits the Earth once in about ______. A. 365 days
B. 28 days
C. 24 hours
D. 7 days
12. What event happens about once every month? A. a revolution of the Earth around the Sun
B. a lunar eclipse
C. a rotation of the Earth
D. a full moon
13. As the Moon revolves around the Earth, it also rotates on its axis. Why is it that the same side of the Moon is always visible from Earth? A. Light from the Sun always shines on the same side of the Moon.
B. The speed of the Moon's rotation keeps the same side always facing Earth.
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
C. The Moon does not have a day and night cycle.
D. That side of the Moon only faces away from Earth during the daytime.
14. The image below shows the Sun, Earth, and Moon in alignment. The image is not drawn to scale.
Image not drawn to scale
In what phase would the Moon appear to a viewer from Earth during this alignment? A. crescent moon
B. full moon
C. new moon
D. half moon
15. While researching Moon phases, Akiva found images of what the Moon looked like for several days in November one year. Nov. 1 Nov. 4 Nov. 7 Nov. 10 Nov. 13
Nov. 16 Nov. 19 Nov. 22 Nov. 25 Nov. 28
Images courtesy of NASA
On which day was the Moon most directly in between the Earth and the Sun? A. November 22
B. November 7
C. November 16
D. November 1
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Lunar Phases (Read the following Lesson and review Flashcards before doing Practice. You can also do this on Study Island: 7th STEM.) Do as often as you wish.
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