EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -It takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes for our Moon to complete one full orbit around Earth. This is called the sidereal month, and is measured by our Moon’s position relative to distant “fixed” stars. However, it takes our Moon about 29.5 days to complete one cycle of phases (from new Moon to new Moon).

Detailed explanation-2: -First, the Moon is on a 30-day cycle when it makes its orbit around the Earth. Actually, the entire trip takes 29.53 days, to be exact, and is measured from one “New Moon” to the next.

Detailed explanation-3: -These eight phases are, in order, new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days).

Detailed explanation-4: -The rotation of the moon around the Earth requires approximately 28 days (called the sidereal lunar month, which is 27.32 days in length). Another lunar cycle of about 14 days refers to the interval between the moon’s crossing of the equator.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Moon completes one orbit around Earth every 27.3 days (a sidereal month), but due to Earth’s orbital motion around the Sun, the Moon does not yet finish a synodic cycle until it has reached the point in its orbit where the Sun is in the same relative position.