Is It Waxing or Waning?

Tracking the Moon, Sun, & Planets

Earth spins to the east, so the Sun appears to go from East to West across the sky each day. Did you know the Moon also orbits the Earth by going east--the same direction toward which Earth rotates?

You might have looked up at the Moon and said, "Oh, it's a quarter/gibbous/crescent Moon," but then followed up with, "Well, I don't know if it's waxing or waning!"

Knowing which way the Moon orbits Earth, however, allows you to figure out if it's waxing or waning! See if you can figure out it--we'll explain it on this page soon!

By the way, if you step outside and look straight up before heading to school in the morning, you might notice a bright "star" shining down on you. It's not a star--it's the planet, Jupiter! Some other bright objects in the sky visible in the mornings are Venus, the supergiant star Betelgeuse, and Sirius--the brightest star in the sky after the Sun!