Here's a breakdown of what happens during the waxing phases:
* New Moon: The moon is completely hidden from view, as it's positioned between the Earth and the Sun.
* Waxing Crescent: A thin sliver of the moon becomes visible, growing larger each night.
* First Quarter: Exactly half of the moon is illuminated, and it looks like a quarter circle.
* Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the moon is illuminated, and the shape continues to get fuller.
Essentially, waxing means the moon is growing fatter! This is because the illuminated portion of the moon, as seen from Earth, is getting larger as the moon orbits the Earth and moves away from the Sun.
