|
 Waxing | When the amount of the Moon's lighted surface seen on Earth increases |
| Ellipse | An elongated, closed curve |
| Third quarter | Waning Moon phase in which only one-half of the lighted side of the Moon can be seen from Earth |
| Phases | Changing appearances of the Moon as seen from Earth |
| Full Moon | When all of the Moon's surface that faces Earth is lit up |
| Maria | Dark-colored, relatively fat regions of the Moon |
| Eclipse | When the moon temporarily bocks the sunlight reaching Earth |
| First Quarter | Waxing moon phase in which one-half of the Moon's lighted side can be seen from Earth |
| Equinox | Reached when the Sun's position is directly over Earth's equator and number of daytime and nighttime hours are the same |
| Axis | Imaginary line around which a planet such as Earth spins |
| New Moon | Phase of the moon when it is between the Earth and the Sun and cannot be seen |
| Rotation | The spinning of the Earth on its axis |
| Lunar Eclipse | When the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon |
| Waning | When the amount of the Moon's lighted side that can be seen becomes smaller |
| Solstice | Point at which the Sin reaches its greatest distance north or south of the equator |
| Revolution | Earth's yearly orbit around the Sun |
| Winter Solstice | Occurs in December in the northern hemisphere when there is the least amount of light |
| Seasons | Caused by the tilt of the Earth and the changes in the amount of solar radiation that hits the Earth |
| Summer | Season when the Earth is tilted toward the Sun |
| Winter | Season when the Earth is tilted away from the Sun |