The moon scooped…! Why do we see only a moon half?

Detailed explanation:

We see different phases of the moon, including a half moon (first and last quarters) and a full moon, due to the moon’s position relative to the Earth and the Sun. The phase of the moon we observe depends on the angle at which sunlight illuminates the moon as seen from Earth. Here’s a detailed explanation:

1. Moon’s Orbit: The moon orbits the Earth approximately every 29.5 days. As it moves along its orbit, the portion of the moon illuminated by the Sun changes from our perspective on Earth.
2. Sunlight Illumination: The moon is always half-illuminated by the Sun (except during lunar eclipses when the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon). However, the illuminated portion we see changes due to the moon’s position in its orbit.
3. Phases of the Moon:

• New Moon: The moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. The side of the moon that faces Earth is not illuminated, so we don’t see the moon.
• Waxing Crescent: A small part of the moon’s right side is illuminated, and it increases over the days.
• First Quarter: Half of the moon is illuminated (right side). This is what we commonly refer to as a “half moon.”
• Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the moon is illuminated, leading up to the full moon.
• Full Moon: The Earth is between the Sun and the moon. The entire face of the moon that is visible from Earth is illuminated.
• Waning Gibbous: The illumination starts decreasing after the full moon, with more than half still visible.
• Last Quarter: Another “half moon,” but this time, the left half is illuminated.
• Waning Crescent: Only a small part of the left side of the moon is illuminated before it transitions back to a new moon.

1. Relative Positions: The changing positions of the moon, Earth, and Sun create these phases. When we see a half moon, it means we are seeing half of the moon’s daylight side and half of its nighttime side.

This cycle repeats continuously, giving us the various phases of the moon as seen from Earth.