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Story: Night sky

Phases of the moon

Video file

The moon is visible at night because one side reflects sunlight. During the moon’s monthly orbit of earth, different portions are lit up, as this animation shows.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: NASA

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How to cite this page

John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, Night sky – Earth’s near neighbours, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/7897/phases-of-the-moon (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.