← Moon exhibit overview3D Moon orbit & phases
EXH-0003 · 3D
Move the Moon around Earth in 3D
Earth stays at the center. As you move the Moon along its orbit, the illuminated shape seen from Earth changes at the same time.
☀ Sunlight direction fixed0°
↻ Drag the 3D scene to change your viewpoint
Why does the shape change?
Half of the Moon is always illuminated by the Sun. As the Moon orbits Earth, our viewing angle to that sunlit half changes, producing crescents, quarters, gibbous phases, and the full Moon.
Which way do rotation and orbit go?Viewed from above Earth’s North Pole, Earth’s rotation, the Moon’s rotation, and the Moon’s orbit all proceed in the same counterclockwise direction.
Why do we keep seeing nearly the same lunar face?During one orbit around Earth, the Moon also rotates once in the same direction. This synchronous rotation keeps nearly the same side facing Earth.
The orbit is visualized with about a 5° tilt around Earth. The real lunar orbit is elliptical. This educational model leaves out Earth’s orbit around the Sun so it can focus on the Moon’s orbit, rotation, and phases.