Dalia Politeo  

Science 10  

Monday May 24 

Ms. Mireau 

                                                     10 Wonder Questions: 

– Can a star turn into a planet? 

– Will the sky eventually turn black as the universe is always expanding? 

– Can gravity form waves? 

– What happens to time in space when cosmic objects collide? 

– Why does the sun not run out of oxygen as it constantly burns? 

– What is the universe made of? 

– What causes the phases of the moon and how do the positions of the earth, sun, and moon influence those phases? 

– If the universe is infinite, how is it expanding? 

– Do parallel universes exist? 

– How do magnetic fields influence the behaviour of celestial objects? 

What causes the phases of the moon and how do the positions of the earth, sun, and moon influence those phases?  

What causes the phases of the moon? Even though we may believe the moon changes shapes every night, it is our view that changes every night. Every night our view of the illuminated part of the moon changes. This is dependent on where the moon is in its orbit or path around the earth. This is what we call moon phases, there are eight total moon phases that the moon rotates through, and they change with a regular pattern over about 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks). 

The phases of the Moon are caused by the positions of the Moon, Earth, and the Sun. As the moon orbits around Earth, different parts of it are illuminated by the Sun. Due to the fact the same side of the moon always points towards Earth, the majority of the time the illuminated part faces away from us. Instead, we see different parts of it depending on where the Sun’s light is shining, this creates the phases of the moon. 

The Moon has a day side and a night side just like Earth which change as the Moon rotates. The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark. How much we see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit. 

 

 

New Moon: The new moon is when the Moon is not seen easily, because the part illuminated by the Sun is on the side of the Moon pointing away from Earth. This phase happens when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. While the Moon orbits around the Earth it is tilted by about five degrees, which makes the earth slightly above or below the Sun. When the moon does line up with the Sun it creates a solar eclipse, which only happens between two to five times a year. 

Waxing crescent: This phases is called the waxing crescent due to the shape of this phase. It is curved similar to a banana, which can also be called a crescent shape. As the moon moves in its orbit around Earth, a small part of the Moon becomes visible. The illuminated part is increasing towards 50%.

First quarter: This is when half of the Moon’s illuminated part is visible to the human eye. This is us seeing one-quarter of the total Moon illuminated. It is the third phase of the moon cycle, this happens a week after the new moon. This phase is normally visible around midday and the side illuminated on the Moon is dependent on where you are on earth. This phase can also be called the half-moon.  

Waxing gibbous: The phase is when more than half of the Moon’s surface that is illuminated is visible from Earth, we call it a Gibbous Moon. The Waxing Gibbous phase is when the moon is lit up 99.9% compared to the last phase which was just lit up 50.1%. Waxing means that it is getting bigger, while gibbous is referring to the oval-to-round shape. 

Full Moon: This phases happens when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. The full moon happens once a month which depends on the date, the location and time zone of each person. While the new Moon can cause solar eclipses a full moon can cause lunar eclipses. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees, meaning that sometimes it’s below and sometimes it’s above our Sun. Sometimes, they all line and we get a lunar eclipse.  

Waning gibbous: Like the waxing gibbous but the illuminated part of the moon shrinks from 99.9% to 50.1%. After the full Moon, the illuminated portion of the Moon visible from Earth decreases. During the waning gibbous phase, the Moon’s surface visible from Earth is still mostly illuminated. Waning means that it is shrinking and getting smaller, while gibbous is referring to the oval-to-round shape. 

Third quarter: The third quarter phase is when the moon has reached the last quarter of its orbit around Earth. It can also be called Last Quarter Moon or Half Moon. This is when half of the Moon’s illuminated surface is visible from Earth. The illuminated part is the half of the Moon’s near side not illuminated at first quarter. 

Waning crescent: The final phase of the Moon is the waning crescent. The waning crescent is when the illuminated part of the Moon decreases from 49.9% to 0.1%. Only a small part of the Moon is visible which is on the opposite side compared to the waxing crescent, before it disappears into the new Moon phase once again. Waning means that it’s shrinking and getting smaller, while crescent refers to the curved banana like shape. 

Solar Eclipse Vs. Lunar Eclipse 

A solar Eclipse is when the Moon goes between the Sun and Earth, which causes a shadow on Earth. This shadow can either fully block the Sun’s light or partially block the Sun’s light. When the Moon only blocks part of the Sun’s light, this can be called a partial solar eclipse. When the Moon blocks all the Sun’s light we can call this a total solar eclipse.  

A lunar eclipse is when the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow, opposite the Sun. This causes the Earth’s shadow to go over the Moon’s surface. Lunar eclipses can only happen during a full moon and cannot happen every month.  

The Moon’s phases and its impact on human cultures.  

The moon phases have taken big parts in the human culture. The phases of the moon have helped create many myths and legends throughout the years. Each culture finds its own ways to make sense of the moon’s presence. Their stories are not only entertainment, but a reflection of the past people who created them. Myths and legends created about the Moon have impacted human history, including everything from art to calendars.  

The Moon has inspired many myths and legends that reflect the values of different cultures.  

Some examples:  

• Greece, Rome, Egypt

In conclusion the phases of the moon are dependent on the position of the moon’s orbit around Earth and the angles the sunlight illuminate the moon. As the moon orbits around the Earth, there are eight phases it rotates through over the span of 30 days. These phases include new moon, waxing and waning crescent, first and third quarter, waxing and waning gibbous, and full moon.

1. What questions did you need to research to research your topic?  

When researching my topic, I tried to use key words related to my topic such as moon, phases, orbit and many more. I mainly stuck to simpler questions as I found it easier to find clear information. Some questions I researched were: What are the moon phases? How do the positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun affect the Moon phases?  

2. What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?

I tried to use our school resources but found it very difficult to use. You had to have quite general questions or there would be no information found. Even when there were many websites listed, I found it confusing because sometimes it would not relate to my questions? I mainly used Google as I am familiar with how to use it and can find clear information.  

 

3. What was the process you used to investigate the topic?

The process I used was to find sub questions to help break down my topic. I would research those questions to help get a better understanding of the moon phases. I also used pictures as I found visually seeing the position of the Moon compared to the Earth and Sun would help me identify what was happening. Doing this helped me make clearer explanations throughout my project.  

 4. How did you verify and cite the information you found?

I used a citation machine to cite all my sources and organize them alphabetically. I would verify my information by comparing it to other sources to see if they had similar ideas. I would also ensure that my sources had authors and more recent publish dates, so I knew the information was up to date. 

  

5. How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?

I found this challenge easier than expected, as there is lots of information about my topic therefore, I had lots to use to make sure my project was clear and detailed. I did my work on time and spread it out throughout the week to make it easier to complete and this helped ensure I did not rush through it. Next time I feel I should chose a topic I may be more interested in to help keep my motivation up to complete this project. 

 

Citations

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, April 19). Lunar Eclipse. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/lunar-eclipse

Full moon – the moonlight phase. Full Moon Phase: How Does It Work? (n.d.). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/full-moon.html

Howells, K. (2023, April 25). The phases of the Moon explained. The Planetary Society. https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-phases-of-the-moon-explained#:~:text=The%20phases%20of%20the%20Moon%20are%20caused%20by,%28daytime%20on%20the%20Moon%29%20faces%20away%20from%20us.

Ian. (2020, November 17). First Quarter: Facts, information, History & Definition. The Nine Planets. https://nineplanets.org/first-quarter/

Moon Mythology & Folklore: Lunar Legends. Universe Unriddled. (2024, April 17). https://universeunriddled.com/post/moon-phase-mythology-and-folklore/#:~:text=The%20moon%20has%20inspired%20a%20vast%20array%20of,aspects%20of%20human%20activity%2C%20from%20agriculture%20to%20art.

NASA. (n.d.). Moon phases – NASA science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-phases/

New Moon – the invisible phase. timeanddate.com. (n.d.-a). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/new-moon.html

The third quarter moon. Third Quarter Moon is a Half Moon. (n.d.). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/third-quarter.html

Waning Crescent Moon. timeanddate.com. (n.d.-c). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/waning-crescent.html#:~:text=During%20the%20Waning%20Crescent%20Moon%20phase%2C%20the%20lit-up,while%20crescent%20refers%20to%20the%20curved%20sickle%20shape.

Waning Gibbous Moon. timeanddate.com. (n.d.-d). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/waning-gibbous.html#:~:text=The%20Waning%20Gibbous%20phase%20is%20when%20the%20lit-up,smaller%2C%20while%20gibbous%20refers%20to%20the%20oval-to-round%20shape.

The waxing crescent moon. timeanddate.com. (n.d.-b). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/waxing-crescent.html#:~:text=The%20Waxing%20Crescent%20Moon%20starts%20as%20the%20Moon,of%20the%20Moon%20increases%20from%200.1%25%20to%2049.9%25.

Waxing Gibbous Moon. timeanddate.com. (n.d.-e). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/waxing-gibbous.html#:~:text=The%20Waxing%20Gibbous%20phase%20is%20when%20the%20lit-up,bigger%2C%20while%20gibbous%20refers%20to%20the%20oval-to-round%20shape.