Moon Study

Judy explained the way the Moon looks in the sky to me this morning. It starts off as a sliver of a backwards C, that keeps growing, known as waxing, until it becomes full. Once it is full, it changes its crescent to a forward C that gets smaller, known as waning, until it is completely dark. Strange enough, when the Moon is fully dark, is it called the New Moon.

Waxing, is the growing stage of the Moon. See the photos below to see the Moon, starting as a small backward C, continuing to grow larger.

The Moon can be as helpful as a compass. Easily find South, when you are in the Northern Hemisphere, by drawing an imaginary line between the top and bottom points of the crescent Moon. The bottom of the crescent line, always points south.

If you see the Moon as a forward C, it is Waning. Waning is when the Moon is getting smaller. See the photos below and notice the forward C getting smaller.

This is all based on being in the Northern Hemisphere. Everything is backwards in the Southern Hemisphere. At the equator, the crescent Moon looks like a smile or a frown, depending on the period of wax or wain.

The Moon, like the sun, does rise in the east and set in the west. The Moon makes one complete revolution as it orbits the earth in 27.3 Earth days. The Moon keeps the dark side away from Earths view. Earthlings never see the dark side.

A day on the Moon is 27 and 1/3 Earth days long, as it takes 27 and 1/3 Earth Days for the Moon to orbit the Earth once.

The Earth and Moon work together orbiting the Sun. Since the Moons orbit is not round but oval the next full Moon is 29.5 days apart.

Technically, each phase of the Moon lasts only a brief instant. To our eyes, a full Moon can last for a few days. It looks full for about 3 days.