6. The Lunar Cycle Challenge / Using online models to understand the phases of the Moon / Nature of science teaching activities / Nature of science / Home

Can you complete the lunar cycle?

Use information from this Moon cycle page to help you complete the lunar cycle challenge. Go to the Moon connection website to find out more.

Can you think of a way to remember the correct sequence of the Moon’s phases?
Does there seem to be a pattern in the names for the different phases of the Moon?
When the Moon is halfway through a lunar cycle, what phase is it at?

At the first quarter, the Moon has completed one quarter of its orbit of Earth. At the third quarter, it has completed three-quarters of its orbit. We see the Moon half-lit at each of these phases.
A new crescent Moon in southern hemisphere skies looks like the letter C; an old crescent Moon is the opposite way around.
Moon days and Moon nights are very long – about 14 Earth days each!
The Sun is over a million times bigger in volume than the Moon, but the Moon is much closer to the Earth. The Moon is about 400 000 kilometres from Earth; the Sun is 150 million kilometres away.