The amount of the lighted side of the Moon you can see is not the same during different phases of the lunar cycle. The Moon goes through phases, which are caused by the changing angles of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Here's why:

* New Moon: The Moon is between the Sun and Earth. We see the dark side of the Moon, as the Sun's light is illuminating the opposite side.

* Waxing Crescent: A sliver of the Moon becomes visible, and it gets larger each night.

* First Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated, and we see a perfect semicircle.

* Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is illuminated, and it appears to bulge outward.

* Full Moon: The entire Moon is illuminated, and we see a full circle.

* Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion of the Moon starts to shrink.

* Last Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated again, but the other half than the first quarter.

* Waning Crescent: The illuminated portion of the Moon continues to shrink until it becomes a sliver again before returning to the new Moon phase.

So, the amount of the lighted side of the Moon you can see is constantly changing throughout the lunar cycle.