Understanding Gibbousness: The Moon's Swollen Appearance
Gibbousness is a term used to describe the appearance of a full or nearly full moon. The word "gibbous" comes from the Latin word "gibbosus," which means "humped" or "swollen." When the moon appears gibbous, it looks like a rounded, swollen shape, with the illuminated portion appearing larger than the darkened portion.
The opposite of gibbous is the term "crescent," which describes the appearance of a thin crescent moon just after new moon. As the moon moves through its phases and becomes more fully illuminated, it transitions from a crescent to a gibbous moon.
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