Celestial MotionsAnd

Celestial Sphere

Phases of the Moon depend on:Where the moon is in its orbit around the Earth

New Moon rises and sets with the SunFull Moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise

First Quarter phase rises at noon and sets at midnightLast Quarter phase rises at midnight and sets at noon

Waxing crescent phase sets just after sunset; it is out most of the day and you don’t see it. It is in the direction of the Sun but a little to the left of it

Waning crescent phase rises just before sunrise; it is out most of the day and you don’t see it. It is in the direction of the Sun but a little to the right of it

ZENITH – the point in the sky on the the celestial sphere that id directly overhead.

ALTITUDE – the angular distance above the horizon

AZIMUTH – directional bearing around the horizon measured in degrees from north (0 degrees)

MERIDIAN – a great circle passing through the celestial north and south poles and through the zenith of any location on Earth

ecliptic – apparent line path through the 12 constellations of the zodiac that the Sun seems to take in one Earth year. Also representing the “edge” of the plane of the Earth’s orbit.

Constellations of the zodiac – the 12 patterns recognized by several ancient civilizations as the background for the Sun, the Moon and the planets.

The Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun; it is also 400 times closer to us than the Sun. Because of this, every so often the Moon “covers up” all or part of the Sun (about once every 18 months. Only a narrow path on Earth gets to witness the full totality when it seems like nigh time. This can only happen when the Moon is in its New Moon phase