NAME: ______

MOON PHASES PRACTICE

DIRECTIONS: Using your notes, write the phase of the moon shown in each picture.

1 /
5

2 /
6

3 /
7

4 /
8

Using the diagram above, answer the questions. You may write only the numbers if you want.

9. Which image(s) shows a Quarter moon? ______

10. Which images are crescents? ______Gibbous? ______

11. Which images are waxing? ______

12. Which images are waning? ______

13. Which image is the beginning of the moon phase cycle? ______

14. Which image is the last phase in the moon phase cycle? ______

15. Explain why the moon appears to change shape?

Using the description, complete worksheet by adding the drawing of that phase of the moon. The part with the light should be left white while the rest is shaded in.

16. New Moon
Moon is almost directly between the sun and Earth (start of cycle). /
17. Waxing Crescent Moon
A bit of the sunlit side of the moon shows on the right side. /
18. First Quarter Moon
The moon is a quarter of its way around Earth. It is in its first quarter phase. /
19. Waxing Gibbous Moon
The moon is increasing in light between a first quarter moon and a full moon. /
20. Full Moon
Two weeks have passed since the new moon. We see the entire face of the moon shining. /
21. Waning Gibbous Moon
The moon is decreasing in light between a full moon and a last quarter moon. /
22. Last Quarter Moon
The moon is three-quarters of its way around Earth. It is in its last quarter phase. /
23. Waning Crescent Moon
A bit of the waning sunlit side of the moon shows on the left side. /

****#1 goes with the New Moon, each number refers to the moon to its RIGHT

24. Which of the above is a Waxing Gibbous moon? _____

25. Which of the above is a Waning Crescent? ______

26. Which of the above is a Waxing Gibbous? ______

27. Based on the diagram, which of the following best represents how the Moon would appear as seen from Earth?

28. A student made the drawing below to show the order of several phases of the Moon. One of the phases is missing.DRAW the missing phase …

Missing Phase: ______

29. Explain how you know this:

30. Draw the positions of Earth (E), the sun (S) and the moon (M) during a full moon?

How long does each of the below take? (Don’t forget to write your units!)

Rotation / Revolution
Earth / 31. / 33.
Moon / 32. / 34.


35. A student observed the Moon on a Tuesday. She drew a picture of its shape in her journal, as shown below. Approximately how long will the student have to wait before she can see the Moon with this same shape and position again?

  1. 7 days
  2. 14 days
  3. 29 days
  4. 365 days

36. The moon's observed motion across the sky is PRIMARILY due to the …

  1. orbit of the earth around the moon.
  2. orbit of the moon around the earth.
  3. rotation of the earth.
  4. rotation of the moon.

Moon Phases