Which moon phase looks like a half-circle from Earth?

Which moon phase looks like a half-circle from Earth?

• A. Full Moon
• B. Quarter Moon
• C. New Moon
• D. Moon Phase

Answer: (B)

Seeing a half-circle means about half of the Moon’s sunlit face is visible from Earth. This is the quarter phase, when the Moon has completed about a quarter of its orbit. It looks like a semicircle because exactly 50% of the near side is illuminated. There are two quarter phases in a lunar month—one when the right side is lit (in the Northern Hemisphere) and one when the left side is lit. The other options don’t show a half-circle: a Full Moon is fully illuminated, a New Moon isn’t visible from Earth, and “Moon Phase” is a general term, not a specific half-lit shape.

Seeing a half-circle means about half of the Moon’s sunlit face is visible from Earth. This is the quarter phase, when the Moon has completed about a quarter of its orbit. It looks like a semicircle because exactly 50% of the near side is illuminated. There are two quarter phases in a lunar month—one when the right side is lit (in the Northern Hemisphere) and one when the left side is lit. The other options don’t show a half-circle: a Full Moon is fully illuminated, a New Moon isn’t visible from Earth, and “Moon Phase” is a general term, not a specific half-lit shape.