Why Moon Has Phases - Bad Paper

Over a 30 day period, I observed and recorded data concerning the moon, and I found that it varies in shape, color and the direction it can be found. Some people may have the impression that the moon grows and shrinks, or they may just have never realized that our moon is lit by the sun. As our moon revolves around us, it goes through phases depending on which side of it receives light from the sun. Just like Earth, half of the moon receives sunlight and half of the moon is in darkness, the changes we see are the result of the angle the moon makes with the sun. Sometimes we see no moon at all because we are seeing the dark side, while the sun is shining on the other side. Other times, the sun may be at such an angle with the moon that it appears that there is only half of moon. We have a full moon when the sun is on the direct opposite side of the earth than the moon, and the light can bend around the earth, and shine on it completely.

In addition to changing shape, I noticed that the moon can really only be found in certain directions. The moons location in the sky is related to the observers horizon. Similar to the sun, the moon rises from the east due to our counter-clockwise rotation and because we are in the northern hemisphere, the moon is always slightly south in the sky.

Sometimes the moon looks bigger or smaller in the sky, but actually it is always the same size. The only reason it looks like it changes size is an optical illusion. If the moon is high in the sky alone, there is nothing to compare it to, but if it is low in the sky, perhaps near buildings or other landmarks, it can appear very large.