Wonderful whys · 44/50 · Ages 8–10
The Moon’s borrowed light
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Owl asks whether the Moon has a night-light switch. The Moon does not make its own visible moonlight like the Sun makes sunlight. It reflects sunlight.
What you will discover
- The Moon reflects light from the Sun.
- Its visible bright shape changes as we see different portions of its sunlit half.
English vocabulary
- Moon
- Mặt Trăng
- reflect
- phản xạ
Let’s play
Where does visible moonlight mainly come from?
- A light bulb inside the Moon
- Sunlight reflected by the Moon
- A giant flashlight on Earth
See the explanation
The Moon’s surface reflects some sunlight toward us.
Practise touch typing
Place your hands on F and J and type this sentence using ten fingers.
The Moon reflects light from the Sun.
Two little quiz questions
1. Does the Moon have to be full to reflect sunlight?
- No
- Yes
- Only on weekends
Answer and explanation
No. A crescent Moon also shows a portion of the sunlit half.
2. What changes through the Moon’s phases?
- The portion of its lit half we can see
- Its shape into a real banana
- The Sun turning off
Answer and explanation
The portion of its lit half we can see. The Moon stays round while our view of its illumination changes.
Read more with an adult: NASA Space Place: Moon phases