What exactly is the difference between a new moon and a full moon?

phaeton_nz

New moon is when there is no light shining on the side facing the earth, full moon is when the earthside face is completely lit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phases Apr 08 09, 10:48 PM

looney_tunes

This link has some nice diagrams to show how half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun, but the lit part seen from the Earth's surface changes during each month as the Moon orbits the Earth. A new moon (also called the dark of the moon) occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun; a full moon occurs when the Moon is on the far side of the Earth from the Sun. These events occur roughly two weeks apart. The relative position of the three celestial objects also means that the Moon is visible at different times. At the time of a new moon, the Moon and Sun are lined up, so they both appear to rise at pretty much the same time. At the time of a full moon, the Moon seems to rise about sunset. http://www.sciencecentre.monash.edu.au/ptr/lessons/docs/space/moon.pdf Apr 09 09, 12:27 AM