If today is October 9th and we observe a full moon, how many more weeks will it be before we observe the next first quarter?
If today is October 24th and we observe a waning crescent, on what approximate date did we observe the last waxing crescent?
The moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that is orbits the Earth. This causes us to see which of the following?
How long does a lunar cycle take to complete?
How long does it take the moon to revolve around that Earth one complete time?
A decreasing amount of visible light on the moon’s surface is referred to as -
Question 12
An increasing amount of visible light on the moon’s surface is referred to as –
True or False: The same moon phase is seen by everyone on Earth each night –
people in the northern and southern hemispheres do not see opposite moon phases.
No reflected light from the Sun is visible on Earth during a –
1. To determine how many more weeks it will be before we observe the next first quarter after a full moon on October 9th, we need to understand the phases of the moon and their approximate durations.
The lunar cycle consists of 8 phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent.
The first quarter occurs approximately one week after the full moon. Therefore, if today is October 9th and we observe a full moon, we can estimate that the next first quarter would occur around October 16th. So, there are approximately one more week, or 7 days, until we observe the next first quarter.
2. If today is October 24th and we observe a waning crescent, we can approximate the date when we observed the last waxing crescent by counting the days back in the lunar cycle.
The lunar cycle consists of approximately 29.5 days from one new moon to the next. Since a crescent phase occurs after the new moon, we can estimate that the waxing crescent phase occurred around 3-4 days after the new moon.
Considering that the approximate length of a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we can count approximately 3-4 days before the current waning crescent phase on October 24th. Therefore, we can estimate that the last waxing crescent phase was observed around October 20th-21st.
3. The moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits the Earth, which causes us to always see the same side of the moon. This means that we only observe one hemisphere of the moon from Earth.
4. A lunar cycle takes approximately 29.5 days to complete. This is the time it takes for the moon to go through all its phases and return to the same phase again.
5. It takes the moon approximately 27.3 days to complete one revolution around the Earth. This period is known as the sidereal month.
6. A decreasing amount of visible light on the moon's surface is referred to as the waning phase. This can include the waning crescent, third quarter, and waning gibbous phases.
7. An increasing amount of visible light on the moon's surface is referred to as the waxing phase. This can include the waxing crescent, first quarter, and waxing gibbous phases.
8. False. The same moon phase is not seen by everyone on Earth each night. Moon phases are determined by the relative positions of the moon, Earth, and the sun. Different locations on Earth's surface may have different views of the moon due to variations in latitude and longitude.
9. True. People in the northern and southern hemispheres generally see the same moon phases, but they appear inverted due to their different perspectives. For example, if someone in the northern hemisphere sees a waxing crescent, someone in the southern hemisphere would see a waning crescent.
10. During a new moon phase, no reflected light from the sun is visible on Earth. This is because the side of the moon facing the Earth is not illuminated by the sun's direct rays.