By this time, the Moon has traveled more than half along its orbital path around Earth. Overall, it is the 6th stage of the eight moon phases.
GIBBOUS MOON FULL
When Does A Waning Gibbous Moon Occur?Ī Waning Gibbous Moon occurs after the Full Moon and before the Last Quarter. It shrinks even further during the Waning Crescent phase until it becomes totally dark-and a New Moon starts the cycle again. During this time, the visible portion of the Moon decreases from 99.9% to 50.1%.įollowing the Waning Gibbous Moon phase is the Last Quarter. The Waning Gibbous is a transitional phase that lasts about six days. After the 100% illumination of the Full Moon, it enters the waning stage. The three bodies only align for a short time. Since the Earth and Sun are on the same side of the Moon, the illuminated part is fully visible to us. This time, however, the Earth is at the center. The Moon, Earth, and Sun aligned again at this phase. The waxing phases lead to the most spectacular phase-the Full Moon. When it grows more than 50%, it is in the Waxing Gibbous phase. It means that Moon has traveled a quarter of its orbit already. “Waxing” means increasing, and it will continue to do so until we see half of the disk in the First Quarter Moon. From 100% darkness of the New Moon, we begin to see a small part of it in a Waxing Crescent Moon. The Moon continues on its orbit around Earth in a counterclockwise direction. Of course, the side that is facing the Sun is illuminated while the other, facing us, is in darkness. With the Moon in the middle, one part of it is facing the Sun while the other is facing Earth. During this time, the Earth, Moon, and Sun form a line. Waxing And Waning Gibbous Phase in the Moon Cycle Let’s see how it fits into the context of the lunar cycle. However, since it is not 100%, it is technically a Waning Gibbous Moon already. Still, it can “appear” full for about three days when we can see about 98% of it. The Sun, Moon, and Earth only align for a very short time so a Full Moon does not last long. It will continue to shrink until it reaches the Last Quarter-that is when we see a “half-moon.” It is also called the Third Quarter Moon.Īt times, it can be a challenge to identify if what we see is still a Full Moon or a Gibbous Waning Moon. From the fully sunlit Moon, the illuminated part seems to be shrinking as it enters the waning phase. The Waning Gibbous Moon phase is an intermediate phase. The night side takes over the illuminated portion, which gives way to the New Moon phase and a new cycle begins. We can see the day and night sides of the Moon in equal parts. The night side of the Moon starts to creep as it continues on its journey around Earth. We can see the Moon’s disk fully as the day sight faces Earth, while the Sun is on the opposite side. The illuminated part of the Moon is greater than its dark side. Half of the Moon is illuminated as it is already a quarter in its journey around Earth. We can see the first sliver of the Moon as the illuminated portion starts to grow bigger. The Moon is invisible from our point of view because the unlit part is facing the Earth. It is a result of its celestial dance with the Earth and Sun. Basically, the changes in the Moon’s appearance are all a matter of perspective. The important thing to remember is that the illuminated part of the Moon is always the side that is facing the Sun. And from our viewpoint here on Earth, it becomes invisible. Both the near side and the far side can receive sunshine, so technically, there is no “dark side.” When the far side is illuminated, the near side is in darkness. Every month, its trip around Earth brings it to different positions relative to the Sun.Īs a result, different parts of the Moon receive sunlight.
Of course, the Moon does not really become bigger or smaller. The apparent change in the Moon’s shape is called the lunar phases or the Moon phases. The side of the Moon that we see is called the “near side.” The other one, facing away, is the “far side.” Sometimes, we can see the near side in its entirety, and sometimes, only a small fraction of it is visible. Because of that, only one side of the Moon is facing Earth. What it means is that it takes the same time for it to rotate on its axis and orbit Earth. It is also important to note that our only natural satellite is tidally locked to Earth.
The Moon’s surface reflects light from the Sun, just like everything else in the solar system.Īs we know, the Earth goes around the Sun, and our Moon turns around our planet. However, it does not produce its own light. The Moon is the brightest object in our night sky. Before we get into the different phases such as waning gibbous moon, or waxing crescent moon, let’s first discuss a little about the moon in general.
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