Question

Name the two extreme shapes of the moon. When and at what intervals do they occur?

Answer 1

Hint:
- Moon is the largest natural satellite in the Solar System in terms of the size of its planet, with a diameter of one-quarter that of Earth.
- The moon's gravitational pull is the primary cause of Earth's tides. At an average lunar distance of 384,400 kilometers, the moon orbits Earth.
- The Moon was formed 4.51 billion years ago, or perhaps 100 million years earlier, roughly 50 million years after the Solar System was formed

Complete answer:
The full moon and the new moon are the moon's two most extreme shapes. The word "full moon" refers to the moon's full circular shape. The term "New Moon'' refers to a moon that can't be seen. According to Hindi calendar month, the New Moon occurs on the fifteenth day and the Full Moon occurs on the last day of the month. There is a 15-day gap between these two occurrences.
The Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are aligned on opposite sides of the Earth and the Sun illuminates 100% of the Moon's face. When seen from Earth, Full Moons are 99.9% illuminated. The Moon's orbit around Earth is tilted at an angle of around 5° in relation to the Earth's orbital plane named ecliptic, which is why we can't see the entire illuminated hemisphere of the Moon during certain Full Moons.
When the Moon and sun are aligned with the Earth and sun on opposite sides of the Moon, it is known as New Moon. Because of the Sun's, Moon's, and Earth's alignment, the side of the Moon that faces Earth is dark. This is referred to as a Syzygy or a conjunction. The New Moon is visible in the sky during the daytime. It rises and sets at the same time as the Sun, putting it too close to the glare of the Sun to be seen with the naked eye. A solar eclipse is the occasion that we will see the New Moon. In reality, the New Moon is just 'perfect' on this occasion.

Note:
- Many religious and cultural holidays around the world are guided by the Moon. In the Chinese calendar, New Moon in February shows the starting of the lunar Year.
- The Soviet Union's Luna 2 uncrewed spacecraft was the first manmade object to reach the Moon. It reached the moon in 1959.
- The Moon has a solid iron-rich inner core with a radius of about 240 kilometers and a fluid outer core with a radius of about 300 kilometers.