Question

which positions of the earth, sun, and moon will show you a full moon at night?

Explanation:

To determine the position for a full moon, we recall: A full moon occurs when the Earth is between the Sun (S) and the Moon (M). This is because the Sun illuminates the entire face of the Moon visible from Earth, and Earth must be in the middle to allow this alignment (Sun → Earth → Moon, with Earth blocking no light from reaching the Moon’s visible face from our perspective).

Analyzing the Options:

• The third option (with \( \boldsymbol{S} \) (Sun) on the left, \( \boldsymbol{E} \) (Earth) in the center, and \( \boldsymbol{M} \) (Moon) directly above Earth) shows the Sun, Earth, and Moon in a straight line with Earth between Sun and Moon. This matches the full - moon alignment.

Answer:

The third option (with Sun (S) on the left, Earth (E) in the middle circle, and Moon (M) above Earth)