During a lunar month, the moon exhibits eight distinct phases, reflecting a cycle from not illuminated to fully illuminated and back again. This cycle starts with the new moon, where the moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun, making it invisible from Earth due to the sun's brightness. As the moon orbits Earth, it moves through stages of increasing illumination (waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous) to a full moon, when its entire face is lit up, and then through decreasing illumination (waning phases) back to the new moon. These phases indicate the portion of the moon that is sunlit and visible from Earth. All About the Moon part 3