Motion and Phases of the

Moon

4.02-3
• The Moon appears
to rise in the East
and set in the West.
• This apparent
motion of the moon
is caused by the
rotation of the Earth.
• The Moon revolves or
orbits around the
Earth with an orbital
period of 29.5 days,
hence the origins of
“Months” of the year.
• As it orbits the Earth,
the Moon always has
the same side facing
towards us.
• Sometimes the Moon’s orbit is such that it
comes directly between the Sun and the
Earth, blocking the path of sunlight to part
of the Earth.
• This is called a solar eclipse.

The moon’s shadow only falls on a small

part of the Earth, and only people
standing there can see the total eclipse.

In the eclipse of 2005 above, who saw

the total eclipse, people in Nunavut or
people in Guyana (South America)?
• In a full solar eclipse, all
that can be seen of the
Sun is its corona.
• It is dangerous to look
directly at a solar eclipse,
because it may damage
the retinal cones of your
eye.

Note on the side:

Solar eclipses only last a
few minutes, but must be
observed through special
filters to reduce the Sun’s
powerful radiation.
The next total solar
eclipse seen in
Canada will occur in
2024!
• In a lunar eclipse, the
Earth blocks the
Sun’s light from
reaching the moon,
so the Earth casts a
shadow on the Moon.
 Recap:
• Lunar Eclipses:
When the earth
blocks sunlight from
reflecting off of the
moon.
•Solar Eclipses:
Sun From Earth Earth From Space
When the moon
comes between the
sun and us, allowing
only a halo to be
seen.
• We are able to see the Moon because it
reflects the Sun’s light.
• Only half of the moon’s surface can be
illuminated at any one time.

Sun’s light rays

 • As the relative
Stop frame animation
position of the over a whole month
Moon, Sun and
Earth change over
the period of one
month, the amount
of the Moon’s
surface that can be
seen from the Earth
varies.
• This results in the various
phases of the Moon.
The Phases of the Moon (6:02 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vXWXqGmPCk&feature=related
History Channel (3:16 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXseTWTZlks&feature=related
Good recap: Why does the moon look like it changes? (2:10 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdI1aDjWLlY&feature=related
Note: Good explanation, but backwards (moon goes counterclockwise, not clockwise) Phases of moon (2:25 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aFGNGEcDOk
• (The expression “once in a blue moon”
refers to something that happens rarely. A
blue moon occurs when the Moon’s phases
are timed so that there are two full moons in
one month.)
 Phases of the Moon, What do we see from Earth?
Think before you copy, look at how many days into the lunar
cycle each image represents.
~7 Days

~14 or 15
Days Closest to
the Sun

~22 Days
Let’s fill it in!
Phases of the Moon