The Changing Moon

Look up at the night sky. The moon does not always look the same. Sometimes it is a round, full circle. Other times it is a thin curve. Why does the moon seem to change its shape? The moon does not make its own light. It gets light from the sun. The moon orbits, or moves around, our Earth. As it moves, the sun lights up different parts of the moon. We only see the part that is lit by the sun. When the moon is between the sun and Earth, we might not see much of it. This is called a new moon. As the moon moves, we see more of its lit side. First, we see a tiny bit, then more. When the Earth is between the sun and the moon, we see the whole bright side. This is a full moon! Then, the lit part seems to get smaller again. The moon is always there. We just see its shape change because of the sun's light.