Full Moon. Image 14 of 27. Optical image of a full Moon 14 days into its 28-day cycle. The Moon is full when the Earth-facing side is fully lit by the

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Full Moon. Image 14 of 27. Optical image of a full Moon 14 days into its 28-day cycle. The Moon is full when the Earth-facing side is fully lit by the Sun. The continuing motion of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth will begin to move this Earth-facing side out of the sunlight. Darkness will encroach (here, from the right-hand side) as the lunar night falls on a waning Moon. The Earth- facing side of the Moon is locked in place by the gravitational influence of the Earth. This results in a lunar day that equals the length of the lunar Earth orbit. Taken in October 2001. A sequence of the monthly cycle of Moon phases is shown on images R340/644-670.

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Size: 4448px × 4606px
Photo credit: © ECKHARD SLAWIK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 14, 14-day-, astronomical, astronomy, circle, circles, circular, cosmology, cycle, cycles, cyclical, days, full, lunar, mare, maria, moon, optical, period, periodical, periods, phase, phases, planetary, satellite, satellites, science, sea, seas, sunlight, sunlit