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Project ASTRO Tucson

Phases of the Moon Demos

Resource List

Moon Phases Description Demos Cratering Description Demos

The video clips below were created to demonstrate why we see the phases of the moon. On the right you can see the set up that was used to simulate the Earth-Moon-Sun system. On the left you can see what the camera captured. Below these video clips is another QuickTime movie. This one is an animation that shows the phases of the Moon with a diagram of the Earth-Moon-Sun system beneath it. As the Moon goes through its phases, a red dot on the diagram follows the path of the Moon around the Earth. Use the movie controls to step back and forth through the animation to help you visualize what is happening as the moon goes through its phases.

A more detailed description of the phases of the Moon is also available.

Note: These demonstrations require QuickTime which is available for both the Macintosh and Windows platforms.

NOAO is operated by the Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

NOAO >   Education >   Project Astro >   Moon Phases Demo

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