My boyfriend and I are having a small disagreement about the true nature of the full moon, and I was hoping some one could clear it up for me.

We both agree about one full side of the moon being lit and where the moon is in relation to the earth is what creates the illusion of a half moon, etc. But he seems to think that when the earth is between the sun and the moon, it disappears because light does not bend. I have been told that light DOES bend, thus creating an illusion of a full moon to us. I recommended that he take a ball and put a flashlight up against it and pull the flashlight away. If light travels only straight, then no light should be in the shadow of the ball, but that's not the case. Some light will start to permeate the shadow, indicating that light bends. He also thinks that the moon is too close to the earth for light to bend around it.

Would some one mind explaining this in a way that we, the people who are interested in astronomy but don't know that much about it, can easily understand. Thanks!