TO THE MOON AND BACK

The waxing crescent phase is the moon's first step toward fullness. And it's a very visible shift — the moon is completely invisible (while it's new) until a tiny sliver is illuminated. 

What is the Quarter Moon? ... With the Quarter Moon—what visually appears as the Half Moon—we can see exactly 50% of the Moon's surface illuminated from Earth.

Waning means that it is getting smaller. Gibbous refers to the shape, which is less than the full circle of a Full Moon, but larger than the semicircle shape of the Third Quarter Moon.

The Full Moon is the most spectacular moon phase when the entire face of the Moon is lit up.