Question

Which moon is after the waxing crescent?
(A) Third quarter
(B) First quarter
(C) Waxing gibbous
(D) New moon

Answer 1

Hint: The different shapes of the moon which are visible at different times of the month are called the phases of the moon. The moon has eight major phases at different times throughout the month.

Complete step by step answer:
The moon displays eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle around the earth each month. One complete cycle of the moon is twenty seven (27) earth days long.
The third quarter is commonly known as the half moon. When the opposite half of the moon is illuminated it is known as the third quarter. It appears after waning gibbous and before the waning crescent. Thus, option (A) is incorrect.
The first quarter is the first half moon of a lunar month. In the first quarter, one half of the moon is illuminated. It is known as the first quarter as the moon travels about a quarter of the way around the earth since the new moon. It appears in the sky after the waxing crescent and before the waxing gibbous. Thus we find that option (B) is the correct answer.
The waxing gibbous is that phase of the moon in which the area of illumination of the lunar surface continues to increase. During the waxing gibbous phase more than half of the moon’s surface appears to be illuminated by the sun. It appears in the night sky before the full moon and after the first quarter. Thus we see that option (C) is incorrect.
The full moon appears in the night sky when the moon is $180^\circ $ away from the sun and is as close to the earth as it can be while being fully illuminated by the sunlight from our perspective. It appears in the night sky after the waxing gibbous and before the waning gibbous. Thus (D) is the incorrect answer.
The correct option is B

Note: The eight phases of the moon in correct order are: New moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and finally the waning crescent.