Here's how it works:

* The Moon doesn't produce its own light. It's a giant, rocky body in space.

* The Sun is the source of light. It emits a massive amount of light energy.

* Some of the Sun's light hits the Moon's surface. The Moon's surface, made of dusty rock, reflects some of this light back into space.

* We see the reflected light. This reflected light is what makes the Moon appear luminous in our sky.

That's why we see different phases of the Moon - it's just reflecting different amounts of sunlight as it orbits the Earth.