Follow along as Astronomer Dr. Williams guides you through the positioning of the Sun, Moon, and Earth and the different phases we can see from here on Earth. You can fill in the Lunar night side of the Moon (the shadowed dark part) of each circle on this activity sheet (Click Here) to start to make your own lunar calendar.
Lesson: As the Moon travels around the Earth we sometimes see more of the “daytime” part of the moon reflecting the Sun’s light and sometimes we see more of the “nighttime” part of the moon that is facing away from the sun. We break down these different views as Lunar Phases or Phases of the Moon.
What did you learn? Try answering these questions: What is causing the dark part of the moon to remain dark? If you know the dates of a certain lunar phase can you predict when it may happen again? If we always see the same side of the Moon how long does it take the Moon to complete one rotation(spin)? If you were on the Moon would the Earth go through phases like the Moon does for us? If the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun once per month, why doesn’t the Moon eclipse the Sun once per month?
You can also download the Lunar Phases activity sheet with this link: https://www.ccssc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/moon-phases.pdf
A completed version can be found here: https://www.ccssc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/moon-phases-completed.pdf
Did you enjoy this activity? Please let us know and send an e-mail to us at info@ccssc.org