Question

Which of the following is the correct order of the consecutive phases of the moon
a. Last quarter, waxing crescent, new moon
b. Waxing crescent, new moon, last quarter
c. New moon, waxing crescent, last quarter
d. New moon, last quarter, waxing crescent

Answer 1

Hint:
When seen from Earth, the lunar phase or Moon phase is the shape of the direct sunlit portion of the Moon. During a synodic month, the lunar phases gradually alter as the orbital positions of the Moon around Earth and Earth shift around the Sun.

Complete solution:
 New Moon, Waxing Crescent, Last quarter is the correct consecutive phase of the Moon. Depending on the location of the Moon in its orbit, the visible side of the Moon is sunlit in many respects. So, the sunlit portion of this face will vary from 0% to 100%. Each of the four intermediate" lunar phases'' is around 7.4 days, with minor variance due to the elliptical nature of the Moon's orbit.

At the summer solstice, the New Moon appears higher than at the winter solstice.
In mid-spring (May 5 in the Northern Hemisphere or November 7 in the Southern Hemisphere), the Waxing Crescent Moon appears higher than in mid-autumn (November 7 in the Northern Hemisphere or May 5 in the Southern Hemisphere).
On the autumnal (fall) equinox, the last quarter moon appears higher than on the spring equinox.

There are four major lunar phases: the new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter, when the ecliptic longitude of the Moon is 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, and 270 °, respectively, at an angle to the Sun (as seen from Earth).

Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note:
 Each of these phases appears at various locations on Earth at slightly different times. There are intermediate stages during the periods between primary phases, during which the apparent form of the Moon is either crescent or gibbous.