Which Moon phase follows the First Quarter?

Which Moon phase follows the First Quarter?

• A. Waning Gibbous
• B. Waxing Gibbous
• C. Full Moon
• D. New Moon

Answer: (B)

Think about how the Moon’s illuminated portion changes as it orbits. After the New Moon, the visible part grows larger each day. When about half of the Moon is lit and it looks like a half-circle, that’s the First Quarter. From there, the illuminated portion continues to grow, so the next phase is more than half lit but not yet full—that is Waxing Gibbous. The term waxing means increasing illumination, and gibbous means more than half. That’s why Waxing Gibbous comes right after First Quarter. Wan­ing Gibbous would come after the Full Moon, Full Moon after the Waxing Gibbous, and New Moon comes after the Waning Crescent, so they don’t fit the sequence.

Think about how the Moon’s illuminated portion changes as it orbits. After the New Moon, the visible part grows larger each day. When about half of the Moon is lit and it looks like a half-circle, that’s the First Quarter. From there, the illuminated portion continues to grow, so the next phase is more than half lit but not yet full—that is Waxing Gibbous. The term waxing means increasing illumination, and gibbous means more than half. That’s why Waxing Gibbous comes right after First Quarter.

Wan­ing Gibbous would come after the Full Moon, Full Moon after the Waxing Gibbous, and New Moon comes after the Waning Crescent, so they don’t fit the sequence.