As the moon orbits or circles the Earth, the phase changes. We'll start with what is called the New Moon phase. This is where we can't see any of the lit up side of the moon. The moon is between us and the sun (see the picture). As the moon orbits the Earth we can see more and more of the lit up side until finally the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun and we get a full moon. As the moon continues to orbit the Earth we now see less and less of the lit up side. The phases of the moon starting with the New Moon are: New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Waning Gibbous Third Quarter Waning Crescent Dark Moon.
