How many trips around the Sun have you made in your

life?

Moon Notes – page 281 Moon

• Our planet's large natural satellite, the Moon, is the easiest astronomical object to observe.

• The only "scientific instrument" you'll need at first is a pair of eyes.

2 The Moon's Orbit• Rotation

–Moon is spinning on its axis

• Revolution–The moon orbits

around the Earth

– It takes the moon approximately one month to go around the Earth.

3 Why do we never see the DARK SIDE?

• Synchronous Rotation is the reason we never see the dark side of the moon.

• Over the millennia, the Moon has become "locked" into a special kind of motion around the Earth.

• It rotates on its axis at the same pace as it revolves around the Earth

• As a result, the Moon keeps the same face toward us throughout its orbit.

4 Phases

• The lighted side of the moon always faces

the sun.

5 New Moon

• New moon occurs when the moon is between the sun & the Earth.

• The shaded side of the moon is facing the Earth.

What we see

What is happening from above.

E

Sunlight

6 Full Moon

• The full moon occurs when the Moon & the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth.

• The lighted side of the moon is facing Earth.

What we see

What is happening from above.

E

Sunlight

7 Full Moon• The full moon is given different names, depending on when

it appears. For example, the "Harvest moon" is the full moon that appears nearest to the Autumnal Equinox, occurring in late September or early October. Some other full moon names (by month) include

• January Moon After Yule, Wolf Moon, or Old Moon• February Snow Moon or Hunger Moon• March Sap Moon, Crow Moon, or Lenten Moon• April Grass Moon or Egg Moon• May Milk Moon or Planting Moon• June Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon• July Thunder Moon or Hay Moon• August Grain Moon or Green Corn Moon• September Fruit Moon or Harvest Moon• October Harvest Moon or Hunter's Moon• November Hunter's Moon or Frosty Moon, • December Moon Before Yule or Long Night Moon.

8 Blue Moon

• When there is more than one full moon in a month, the second moon is called a blue moon.

• A blue moon happens every two years on average.

• The phrase, “Once in a blue moon” means very rarely or very seldom or almost never.

9 First Quarter Moon• The First

quarter moon occurs when the moon is halfway between new and full.

• As seen from the Earth, half the moon’s disk is illuminated.

What we see

What is happening from above.

E

Sunlight

10 Third Quarter Moon• The Third or last

quarter moon occurs halfway between the full moon & the new moon.

• As seen from the Earth, half the moon’s disk is illuminated.

What is happening from above.

E

Sunlight

What we see

11 Waxing – light on the right!

• When the moon is between new & full, the visible part of the moon is increasing.

• This is called waxing

E

Sunlight

12 Waning

• When the moon is between full & new, the visible part of the moon is decreasing.

• This is called waning.

E

Sunlight

Waning

Crescent

13 Crescent Moon – less than half full

• When the moon is between New & 1st Quarter it is called a waxing crescent.

E

Sunlight

New Moon

Full Moon

1st Quarter3rd Quarter

Waxing Crescent

Waning

Gibbous

Waning

Crescent

14 Gibbous Moon – more than half full

• When the moon is between 1st Quarter & Full it is called a waxing gibbous. E

Sunlight

New Moon

Full Moon

1st Quarter3rd Quarter

Waxing Crescent

Waning Gibbous

Moon Video –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXK63GpwUqs

FLASH CARDS

THINK ABOUT IT

• Why does the moon have phases?• Are the phases of the moon caused by Earth casting

shadows on the moon?• How long does it take the moon to go through all of

its phases?• Is the moon the only object in the sky that goes

through phases?• Why does the moon glow?• Why do we always see the same side of the moon?• Why do we see the moon during the day sometimes?