Final answer:
The Moon undergoes various changes in its phase, appearance, and rise and set times as it moves from position 1 to 8 due to its orbit around Earth. It begins with an increase in its illuminated hemisphere until the full moon phase, then it transits to the waning phases until it returns to the new phase.
Step-by-step explanation:
As the Moon moves from position 1 to position 8, it undergoes numerous changes in appearance and location due to its orbit around Earth. Initially, during the first quarter phase, we begin to see an increase in the Moon's illuminated hemisphere, a phenomenon known as waxing gibbous. This occurs until the Moon reaches a full phase (position E) during which the Moon and the Sun are opposite each other and the illuminated side of the Moon is facing Earth.
Subsequently, the Moon does not remain in this phase for long. Due to its eastward movement in relation to the Earth, it moves around 12° per day, and the timing of its appearance in the sky changes. Following the new phase, a thin crescent is visible, which grows in size as the Moon orbits farther from the Sun. The Moon then transitions to the first quarter phase, where half of its illuminated side is visible from Earth.
After the full phase, the Moon enters the waning stage and follows the same phases but in reverse order, culminating in the new phase. At this stage, the Moon is at the third quarter of its orbit, and it rises later at night and sets later in the day. These alterations in the Moon's phase, appearance, and rise and set times are all part of the lunar cycle, which repeats every 29.5 days.
Learn more about Lunar Phases