Interesting Waxing Crescent Facts Simplified For Curious Kids

The waxing crescent is just one of eight phases of the moon.

Starting from the new moon phase to the full moon phase, the moon completes its revolution around the Earth. Just before the first and after the third quarter of its journey, a slight portion of the moon is visible from our planet.

This slightly illuminated portion preceding the first quarter is called the waxing crescent moon, and the phase followed by the third quarter is known as the waning crescent moon. Even though the whole thing seems very natural to us today, it managed to surprise humans for a long time.

In many cultures, the waxing crescent is considered to be auspicious for starting something new in life.

Meaning Of The Waxing Crescent

The waxing crescent is one of the moon phases that comes right after the new moon. During this time, only a slice of the moon is visible to us.

Here, 'waxing' refers to the increasing brightness of the moon, and 'crescent' indicates the shape that looks much like a banana.

Features Of The Waxing Crescent

The waxing crescent is a beautiful sight that is seen in the western sky after the new moon and the first quarter.

Even though this is not considered to be a major phase, the waxing crescent is one of the longest phases in the lunar cycle. It takes about 21.6% of the lunar month, more than any of the major phases.

During this time, the moon's visibility increases from 0.1 to 49.9% (at 50% it becomes a half moon). From the waxing crescent, the moon gets bigger, that is why in some cultures people consider this phase to be the perfect moment for starting something new in life.

Types of Moon Phases

There is a total of eight phases that the Moon goes through every lunar month. In each of these phases, the moon takes a different shape and grows into a different one in the next phase.

The first phase is the new moon. During this period the Sun, moon, and the Earth are aligned, and the moon is in the middle. While the side of the moon facing the sun is illuminated, the side facing the Earth remains in darkness, thus not visible to us.

During a full moon, the Sun, the moon, and the Earth are almost aligned, and this time the Earth takes the middle position. The sunlight falls on the moon because of its position, and we can see it from our planet. However, when they are completely aligned, the Earth's shadow falls on the moon and causes a lunar eclipse.

During the first and the third quarter, each half of the moon's surface is visible to us.

Due to the moon's shape during these phases, it is also called a half moon.

The waxing crescent moon looks similar to the waning crescent moon with just a major difference. During the first one, the moon gains brightness and moves towards becoming a full moon, whereas during the latter phase the moon gets paler and heads towards the new moon.

The waxing gibbous and the waning gibbous are opposite of the two crescent phases. During both phases, more than half of the moon is visible to us. However, during the waxing gibbous phase, the moon increases in size and reaches a full moon, but it shrinks during the waning gibbous period and heads towards the third quarter.

The Difference Between The Waxing Crescent And Waning Phase Of Moon

The moon rotates around our planet, and that's why we can see every moon phase twice in a lunar cycle except the full Moon and the new Moon.

The first major difference between the waxing crescent moon and the waning crescent moon is the timing. While the first one takes place just after the new moon, the latter shows up just before the new moon.

Another significant difference is that while the waxing moon increases in size and light, the waning moon, as the name itself suggests, becomes smaller and paler.

The waxing crescent moon is visible in the western sky and becomes most prominent after sunset. On the other hand, the waning crescent moon can be seen in the eastern sky before sunrise.

Did You Know...

Like other minor lunar phases, the waxing crescent moon lasts 21.6% of the length of a lunar cycle. That is 6.38 days.

It is said that during a new moon our minds and bodies are recharged, and during a waxing crescent moon adds more energy and light to our lives.

The new moon, the waxing crescent moon, the first quarter, the waxing gibbous, the full moon, the waning gibbous, the third quarter, and the waning crescent moon are the eight phases of the moon cycle.

If you can see the moon after sunset then it is a waxing moon. If it is not visible after sunset but shows up before sunrise, then it is a waning moon.

The moon's crescent shape has nothing to do with the Earth's shadow, rather it's the moon's shadow (since it is placed between the Sun and the Earth) that makes it not completely visible at night during these phases.

The waxing crescent will be directly overhead during this phase, the waxing crescent moon will be directly overhead at 3 P.M.

The difference between a gibbous moon and a crescent moon is that they are opposite of each other. While the moon's shadow covers a slice of its surface during the gibbous phase (both waxing and waning), a little slice of its surface remains outside its shadow in the crescent phase.

The waxing crescent moon heads towards the first quarter.

When the moon's right side is illuminated, it is a waxing moon, and when the left side is illuminated, it is a waning moon.

The moon is waxing or waning because the Sun has a fixed position, but the moon rotates around the Earth.

The moon doesn't actually change shape. It appears in different shapes throughout the month because at different points different parts of its surface are illuminated by the Sun.