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Illustration of the Moon in five phases, from new to full, each lit on its right side by the Sun with tiny Earth-Moon-Sun diagrams beneath
Moon · October 7, 2026 · 4 min read

Why Does the Moon Have Phases?

Moon phases come from the changing view of the Moon's sunlit half as it orbits Earth. The cycle from one new Moon to the next takes about 29.5 days, longer than the 27.3-day orbit.

Illustration of the Moon with a ringed new impact crater highlighted
Moon · October 2, 2026 · 2 min read

Scientists Found a Huge New Crater on the Moon. Here's What It Means

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team has identified the largest freshly formed impact crater yet found in the solar system. A look at what was found and why it matters.