The Moon appears as different shapes in the sky depending on its ‘phase’, from new Moon to full Moon via ‘waxing’ (growing) and ‘waning’ (shrinking) moons. These phases are determined by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon.
A full Moon occurs when the Moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. We see it as a full orb because the whole of the side of the Moon facing the Earth is lit up by the Sun’s rays.
The Moon produces no visible light of its own, so we can only see the parts of the Moon that are lit up by other objects.
A small amount of light comes from distant stars and the reflection of light from the Earth (known as ‘Earthshine’). However the main source of light for the Moon is the Sun.
Photo ©️ Faruk Zametica/N1
