Phases of the moon throughout 2018 - Earth.com

Phases of the moon throughout 2018

02-26-2018


Phases of the moon throughout 2018 Phases of the moon throughout 2018 Today’s Video of the Day comes from NASA Goddard and features a look at the different phases of the moon throughout 2018.

This 4K visualization shows the moon as viewed from the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere at hourly intervals. What the moon phases mean. When we talk about moon phases, we refer to the lunar cycle, which runs from new moon to new moon, eight phases of the moon, across 29.5 days. During the Full Moon, the Sun lights up the entire surface of the Moon that faces Earth.  When we talk about moon phases, we refer to the lunar cycle, which runs from new moon to new moon, eight phases of the moon.

The clip also reveals the moon’s orbit position, sub-Earth and subsolar points, the distance from the Earth, and different craters. As the Moon circles the Earth, the amount of the lit side we see changes. These changes are known as the phases of the Moon and it repeats in a certain way over and over.

The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite (a celestial body that orbits a planet). It takes the Moon 27.3 days to make a complete orbit around the Earth, but because the Earth is moving.  We always see the same side of the moon, because as the moon revolves around the Earth.  Althought the Moon still looks a little different every night. 

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/David Ladd (USRA)

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