Page 1 - Microsoft Word - 11.2 Phases of Moon

CHAPTER 11: THE MOON
TOPIC: PHASES OF THE MOON

PHASES OF THE MOON:

 If you look up at the moon at night, you would have noticed that it changes its shape
every day.
 This is because, the heavenly body has no light of its own; it can only reflect light
from the sun.
 Only the side of the Moon which faces the sun can reflect this light and can appear
bright; the other side appears dark.
 As this celestial body revolves around the earth, we can see different amounts of
the region illuminated by the sun.
 Thus, it appears to change its shape.
 So, we can conclude that the different shapes of the moon seen from the earth are
called as the phases of the Moon.

1) New Moon
 When the Moon is between the Sun and Earth, the illuminated side of the moon
faces away from us.