Four Shapes of the Moon

In the picture

1. 1Badge 1 sits on the thin crescent Moon, a slim bright curve on the right side.
2. 2Badge 2 sits on the half-lit Moon, bright on the right and dark on the left.
3. 3Badge 3 sits on the almost full Moon, with only a narrow shadow left.
4. 4Badge 4 sits on the full Moon, a whole bright disc.

Examples

• A ball under a lamp looks half bright and half dark, just like the Moon.
• Looking up on different nights of the same month, the Moon has a different shape each time.

Quiz: Four Shapes of the Moon (Age 10)

1. 1

   About how long does the Moon take to go through all of its shapes and come back to the start?

   • About one week
   • About one month
   • About one year
2. 2

   Why does the Moon seem to change shape during the month?

   • The Moon really grows and shrinks as it moves
   • We see more or less of the Moon’s sunlit half as it travels around Earth
   • Earth’s shadow covers part of the Moon every night
3. 3

   One night the Moon is a thin crescent. Which order will it follow over the next two weeks?

   • Thin crescent, then half lit, then almost full, then full
   • Thin crescent, then almost full, then half lit, then full
   • Thin crescent, then full, then half lit, then almost full

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.