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PIP’S STARHAVEN · FIELD NOTES · CHILDREN

Moon phases: changing views of sunlight

The Moon’s shape seems to change as it orbits Earth. We see different amounts of its sunlit half.

The cycle from one new Moon to the next takes about 29.5 days. The Moon itself stays round.

Wonder about this

Is a crescent Moon caused by Earth’s shadow?

A science clue

No. We are seeing only a small part of the Moon’s sunlit half.