Moon Phases Worksheet | Worksheet - Free Printable

To solve this problem, we need to draw how the Moon looks from Earth during each of its eight phases. The key is to remember that the Sun always lights up the side of the Moon facing it, and as the Moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of that lit-up side.

Let’s go step by step through each phase:

1. New Moon
→ The Moon is between Earth and the Sun.
→ The side facing Earth is in shadow.
→ So, we see nothing — the circle should be completely dark (or empty).

2. Waxing Crescent
→ After New Moon, a small sliver on the *right* side becomes visible.
→ Draw a thin curved line on the right side of the circle, like a smile turned sideways.

3. First Quarter
→ Half of the Moon’s face is lit — the *right half*.
→ Draw a vertical line down the middle; shade or leave blank the left half, keep the right half white (lit).

4. Waxing Gibbous
→ More than half is lit, but not full yet.
→ The right side is mostly lit, with only a small dark part on the far left.
→ Imagine a big “C” shape missing on the left side.

5. Full Moon
→ The entire face we see is lit up.
→ Leave the whole circle white (no shading).

6. Waning Gibbous
→ After Full Moon, the left side starts to darken.
→ Most of the Moon is still lit, but now the *left* side has a small dark area.
→ Like Waxing Gibbous, but mirrored — dark part on the left.

7. Last Quarter
→ Again, half is lit — but now it’s the *left half*.
→ Vertical line down the middle; right half dark, left half lit.

8. Waning Crescent
→ Only a small sliver on the *left* side is lit.
→ Thin curved line on the left side — like a backwards “C”.

Also, for the positions around Earth:
- Place the Moon diagrams in order counterclockwise around Earth, starting at the top (New Moon) and going:
Top → Upper Right → Right → Lower Right → Bottom → Lower Left → Left → Upper Left → back to Top.

But since the worksheet already labels the positions 1–8 around Earth, you just match each numbered position with the correct drawing.

Now, let’s verify the sequence matches standard lunar phases:

Standard order (starting from New Moon):
1. New Moon → all dark
2. Waxing Crescent → right sliver
3. First Quarter → right half
4. Waxing Gibbous → mostly right lit
5. Full Moon → all lit
6. Waning Gibbous → mostly left lit
7. Last Quarter → left half
8. Waning Crescent → left sliver

Yes — that matches the numbering on the worksheet.

Final check: Make sure your drawings show the correct side lit based on whether it’s waxing (growing, right side lit first) or waning (shrinking, left side lit last).

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Final Answer:
Draw the following in each circle:

1. New Moon — completely dark/empty circle
2. Waxing Crescent — thin lit crescent on the RIGHT side
3. First Quarter — RIGHT half lit, LEFT half dark
4. Waxing Gibbous — mostly lit, only small dark area on FAR LEFT
5. Full Moon — entire circle lit (white)
6. Waning Gibbous — mostly lit, only small dark area on FAR RIGHT
7. Last Quarter — LEFT half lit, RIGHT half dark
8. Waning Crescent — thin lit crescent on the LEFT side

Place these drawings in the circles labeled 1 through 8 respectively, going clockwise around Earth as shown in the diagram.