Phases of the moon question

I have to explain phases of the moon to some children, but the
explanations I find on the web are leaving me with questions myself.
I've Googled for these answers, but haven't found any coherent answers
on the web. Unfortunately, I have only about 10 days to get this down,
so I can't watch the night skies for answers. I'm hoping somebody here
can help me out.

Check this diagram, for example:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/sub...n/Phases.shtml

Half of the phases of the moon in this diagram appear above the sunlit
side of the earth, so those phases shouldn't even be visible at night,
except for the first and last few hours of darkness, when the viewer is
standing close to the light/darkness line on earth. Maybe I just never
noticed before, but is it true that crescent moons are visible only
during this time? If that's the case then they must appear low on the
horizon and disappear within hours, yet my memory says I've seen
crescent moons high in the sky well into the night.

A similar argument can be made for seeing a gibbous moon during the day.
I *know* I've seen gibbous moons high in the sky at least four hours
after sunrise and before sunset, but this diagram would seem to say
that's impossible.

Also, does a higher latitude provide a longer viewing window for gibbous
and crescent phases? And does the earth's seasonal tilt affect the
elevation of the moon in the sky, so a gibbous moon might appear higher
in the sky in the northern hemisphere in the winter than it would in the
summer?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Take a look at this idea/activity for explaining how the Moon has phases.
http://currentsky.com/activities/moon/index.html

Clear Skies...
Bob Riddle
Starwalk, Inc.
http://currentsky.com
=======================
"BZ" wrote in message
...
I have to explain phases of the moon to some children, but the
explanations I find on the web are leaving me with questions myself.
I've Googled for these answers, but haven't found any coherent answers
on the web. Unfortunately, I have only about 10 days to get this down,
so I can't watch the night skies for answers. I'm hoping somebody here
can help me out.

Check this diagram, for example:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/sub...n/Phases.shtml

Half of the phases of the moon in this diagram appear above the sunlit
side of the earth, so those phases shouldn't even be visible at night,
except for the first and last few hours of darkness, when the viewer is
standing close to the light/darkness line on earth. Maybe I just never
noticed before, but is it true that crescent moons are visible only
during this time? If that's the case then they must appear low on the
horizon and disappear within hours, yet my memory says I've seen
crescent moons high in the sky well into the night.

A similar argument can be made for seeing a gibbous moon during the day.
I *know* I've seen gibbous moons high in the sky at least four hours
after sunrise and before sunset, but this diagram would seem to say
that's impossible.

Also, does a higher latitude provide a longer viewing window for gibbous
and crescent phases? And does the earth's seasonal tilt affect the
elevation of the moon in the sky, so a gibbous moon might appear higher
in the sky in the northern hemisphere in the winter than it would in the
summer?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!