The phases of the moon are caused by the relative positions of Earth, the sun, and the moon. Lunar phases refer to the appearance of the illuminated portion of

the moon as seen by an observer on Earth. When the moon is aligned so that it is between Earth and the sun, which phase is happening?
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full moon
new moon
first quarter moon
third quarter moon

When the moon is aligned so that it is between Earth and the sun, the phase that is happening is the new moon.