Moon's Orbit

Moon's orbit around the Earth

Not to scale

It takes about one month (28 days) for the Moon to orbit the Earth.

During its orbit the Moon appears to change shape because only a part of its surface is lit up by the Sun (we only see the Moon because it reflects sunlight).

The different shapes are known as Moon Phases and repeat every 28 days.

To learn more about the changing phases of the Moon - click here.