Understanding the Phases of the Moon
Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated by our closest neighbor the moon. In this activity we will explore the phases of the moon. As we have discussed in class, the phases of the Moon are caused by the angle between the Sun, Moon and Earth. By understanding this relationship, one can determine a model for the phases of the Moon. By the end of the activity, you should be able to do the following by simply observing the moon: name the phase, determine if it is waxing or waning, predict what the moon will look like at a later time and date, determine the time of observation, as well as determine the geometry of the Earth, Sun and Moon necessary to produce the phase.

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