What is the difference between gibbous and first/last quarter of the moon

These are called " phases " of the Moon. Of course, the Moon doesn't generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon passes through four major shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every The phases always follow one another in the same order.

Below are pictures of the four major shapes and a description of each. New Moon : The lighted side of the Moon faces away from the Earth. This means that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are almost in a straight line, with the Moon in between the Sun and the Earth. The Moon that we see looks very dark.

First Quarter : The right half of the Moon appears lighted and the left side of the Moon appears dark. A moon cycle lasts It takes about The 2. A waxing moon is a moon that gets more sunlight on it as the days go by. It is after we experience a new moon up to a full moon. A waning moon is after the full moon and will remain waning until we again experience a new moon. One quick way to tell if a moon is in a waxing or waning phase is which side of the moon is the shadow on.

If the shadow is on the right, like it is today, we are in a waning phase. The Moon does not produce its own light. There is only one source of light in our solar system, and that is the Sun. Without the Sun, our Moon would be completely dark. The other side of the Moon is dark. On Earth, our view of the illuminated part of the Moon changes each night, depending on where the Moon is in its orbit, or path, around Earth.

When we have a full view of the completely illuminated side of the Moon, that phase is known as a full moon. But following the night of each full moon, as the Moon orbits around Earth, we start to see less of the Moon lit by the Sun.

At that point, the far side of the Moon is facing the Sun. This phase is called a new moon.