Moon and Its Phases

The Moon is Earth's nearest celestial neighbour and is a fascinating object that we can see in the sky almost every night. The moon does not produce its own light; it shines because it reflects sunlight. As the Moon orbits around Earth, we see different parts of its surface lit up by the Sun, which creates the different phases of the Moon.

The lunar month's eight moon phases are categorised into four primary and four intermediate (waxing and waning) phases.

1. New Moon: At the start of the Moon's cycle, the side of the Moon that faces Earth is completely dark. This phase is called the new moon. During this time, the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so we can't see it.
2. Waxing Crescent Moon: After the New Moon, a small part of the Moon becomes visible. This is known as the waxing crescent phase. The term "waxing" means getting bigger. Therefore, this phase shows a small crescent of light growing.
3. First Quarter Moon: About a week after the New Moon, half of the Moon becomes visible. This phase is known as the first quarter because it is one-quarter of the way through the cycle. We see the right half of the moon lit up.
4. Waxing Gibbous Moon: As the Moon continues to move around Earth, more than half of it becomes visible. This phase is called the waxing gibbous. The moon is getting closer to being full.
5. Full Moon: When the entire face of the moon is lit up, we see a full moon. The Earth is now between the Moon and the Sun, and the whole surface facing us is bright. This is the brightest phase of the moon.
6. Waning Gibbous Moon: After the full moon, the light on the moon starts to decrease. This phase is called the waning gibbous. The word "waning" means getting smaller, so the bright part of the moon is shrinking.
7. Last Quarter Moon: The last quarter phase occurs around three weeks after the New Moon. In this phase, half of the moon is visible again, but this time it’s the left half that’s lit up.
8. Waning Crescent Moon: The final phase before the cycle repeats is the waning crescent. Only a small crescent of light is visible on the left side, and it continues to shrink until it disappears at the New Moon.

Phases of Moon

It takes 14 or 15 days from the new moon to the full moon. This is the fortnight of the ‘waxing’ moon. After the full moon, the moon appears smaller and smaller, and after 14–15 days, it is a new moon again. This period is the fortnight of the ‘waning’ moon. Thus, the period from one new moon to the next is 28–30 days. It is called the lunar month. Every day of the lunar month is called a tithi.

• The new moon The full moon = The waxing moon (Shukla Paksha), a 15-day fortnight of the ‘waxing’ moon.
• After the full moon, the moon appears smaller and smaller, and after 14–15 days, it is a new moon again.
• This period is the fortnight of the ‘waning’ moon. Thus, the period from one new moon to the next is 28–30 days. It is called the lunar month. Every day of the lunar month is called a tithi.