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Credit & Copyright: AntÑnio CidadÖo
Explanation:
Our Moon's appearance changes nightly.
This time-lapse sequence shows
what our Moon looks like during a
lunation, a complete lunar cycle.
As the
Moon orbits the
Earth,
the half illuminated by the
Sun first becomes increasingly visible,
then decreasingly visible.
The Moon always keeps the same face toward the Earth.
The Moon's apparent size changes slightly, though,
and a slight wobble called a
libration is discernable as it progresses along its elliptical orbit.
During the
cycle, sunlight reflects from the
Moon
at different angles, and so illuminates different features differently.
A full
lunation takes about 29.5 days, just under a month
(moon-th).
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - phases - lunation
Publications with words: Moon - phases - lunation
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 25 Á Earths Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
- APOD: 2026 May 11 Á Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
- APOD: 2026 May 9 Á Messier Craters in Stereo
- APOD: 2026 April 15 Á The ISS Transits the Moon
- APOD: 2026 April 11 Á Artemis II: Flight Day 6
- The Bay of Rainbows
- Earthset from Orion