How can the moon have a convex shadow?

If the line between the “Sun” and the “Moon” is at a right angle to the line between the “Moon” and the “Earth” (ie. When the Sun moves forward or backwards from this postion more or less of the bit of the Moon that can be seen from the Earth will be lit up and the shadow will now be curved.

Why is the moon concave?

We realize that the earth is casting a shadow on the moon as earth passes between the sun and the moon. The earth is roughly round; therefore I would expect its shadow to be round, creating a lighted area that is always concave as the earth’s shadow “increases” and “decreases” throughout the month.

How does the moon have a straight shadow?

The half-moon’s terminator (the line dividing day and night) only looks straight because it bulges out directly along the line of sight. With a crescent moon, the terminator bulges out towards the light side, so most of the moon is dark from our perspective.

Why is the shadow of the moon curved?

The Earth casts a shadow on the Moon, which darkens because the Earth blocks the light from the Sun. The Earth’s shadow on the surface of the Moon is obviously curved during these eclipses, which gave ancient astronomers the idea that the Earth must be spherical.

What causes waxing and waning of moon?

In this phase, the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun. From that point on, the illuminated area decreases until the Moon renews its orbit once more. The Moon ‘waxes’ during the phase from New Moon to Full Moon – the illuminated area increases in size every day.

Why is it called waxing moon?

The moon, like many children, goes through phases. As the surface of the moon becomes more lighted each day on the way to full, it’s “waxing.” “To wax” means to increase in size gradually, and used to be a frequent synonym for “grow,” according to the The Oxford English Dictionary.