<human>:  Can you explain why the Moon has phases?
<bot>: The Moon has phases because it is illuminated by the Sun in a cycle. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the amount of sunlight it reflects changes, creating what we see as the eight distinct Moon phases. The Moon’s position between the Sun and Earth causes different amounts of the Moon's surface to be illuminated by direct sunlight. As it moves around Earth, we see different fractions of the lit side of the Moon from our vantage point, giving us the sequence of changes - or phases - we know so well.