Moon Phases: Why the moon you see changes from night to night

There's a reason there isn't a full moon every night or a lunar eclipse every month.

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Just as the earth orbits around the sun, the moon orbits the earth. It takes roughly 27 days for the moon complete its path around our planet.

The moon isn't very visible now, as it is transitioning from a new moon. This means its in the phase in which the side of the moon that faces Earth is in shadow.

This phase occurs when the Sun and Moon and Earth align in that order.

Over the next two weeks, the moon will orbit to the other side of Earth and we'll see a full moon.

The moon's orbit is tilted, so it doesn't often pass through Earth's shadow and create an eclipse.

A lunar eclipse only occurs when the earth is at a specific point in its orbit around the sun. The same goes for a solar eclipse.

When the moon is closest to the earth, it's called the perigee, a super moon.

A perigee appears slightly bigger and brighter than a normal full moon.

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Our next full moon is a super moon on March 9.

It's will also be called the Worm Moon.

Folklore says this is the time of year when the ground begins to soften and earthworms reappear.

To learn more about what’s happening in the night sky any time of year, visit our skywitness 7 page.