Lunar Phases

The Moon does more than serve as a symbol of the night. The Moon seems to light up the night sky, especially in its full-moon phase when it appears as if the entire Moon can be seen by us on Earth. In reality, the moon does not emit light. It is the sun's rays reflecting off the moon's surface that illuminates it. The Moon orbits the Earth as the Earth revolves around the Sun. As the Moon changes its position in its orbit, and the Earth changes its position in relation to the Sun, we are able to see changes in the Moon's appearance from our viewpoint from Earth. The daily changes in the moon's appearance are called lunar phases.

Even though the Moon, with its different phases, is very distant from the Earth, its gravitational pull causes the rise and fall of the ocean’s tides on Earth. The moon phases, otherwise called lunar phases, are cyclical. This cycle of phases affects life on Earth, including the water level of the ocean and the waters that connect to it. In this interactivity, learn more about each phase by clicking on the icon next to each moon phase.

Download a printable version of the interactivity.

Lunar Phases and the Tides Review

Practice what you learned about lunar phases and their effects on the tides in this non-graded activity. Click on the image in the lunar phase cycle that corresponds to each description given. Then, click SUBMIT to check your response. Click on the interactivity thumbnail, and then click NEXT to get started.