1. Sunlight: The sun emits a vast amount of light and energy.
2. Reflection: This sunlight reaches the moon and is reflected off its surface. The moon itself doesn't produce any light.
3. Earth's Perspective: We on Earth see this reflected sunlight as moonlight. The brightness and shape of the moon we see depend on the position of the sun and the moon relative to each other.
Think of it like a mirror reflecting sunlight. The moon acts as a giant, slightly imperfect mirror, scattering the sun's light back towards us.