1. New Moon: The moon is completely dark as it is between the Earth and the Sun.
2. Waxing Crescent: A sliver of the moon becomes visible, getting bigger each night.
3. First Quarter: Exactly half of the moon is illuminated.
4. Waxing Gibbous: The illuminated portion of the moon is more than half but not yet full.
5. Full Moon: The entire face of the moon is illuminated.
6. Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion of the moon is still more than half, but it is shrinking each night.
7. Last Quarter: Exactly half of the moon is illuminated, but the opposite side is now lit compared to the first quarter.
8. Waning Crescent: The sliver of the moon is getting smaller until it disappears again.
It's important to note that the moon doesn't actually "change shape." We see different phases as the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon change during its orbit.
