Here is a time-lapse movie showing the appearance of the Moon over one lunation (over one lunar month, during which the Moon orbits once around the Earth).

• The complete cycle of phases is shown, from the new phase waxing toward the full Moon and then waning away to new again.

• Due to the ellipticity of the Moon's orbit, the apparent size of the Moon changes as its distance from Earth varies (note that the closest and farthest points do not occur at the same phases each month).

• Though the Moon's near side tends to face the Earth directly, we do view the Moon from slightly different angles throughout the month. This effect, called libration, is caused partly by the tilt of the Moon's rotation axis with respect to its orbital plane and partly by the fact that the Moon's orbital speed varies but its rotation rate does not.