Chapter Questions
What time would a first-quarter moon rise? What time would it set? Draw a diagram of the Earth, Moon, and Sun to explain your answers.
You see a half-full moon visible in the morning sky. How long do you have to wait for the next full moon?
The Moon takes about 27.3 days to complete a trip around the ecliptic and return to the same position relative to the stars. This is called its sidereal period. Show that the extra 2.2 days needed to complete a cycle of lunar phases requires the Moon to move through the same angle that the Earth has moved around the Sun in 29.5 days.
Show that the ratio of the Moon's diameter to the Sun's diameter is very similar to the ratio of the Moon's distance from the Earth to the Sun's distance from the Earth.
A total solar eclipse occurred over Europe on August 11,1999 Based on the 18 year, 11 day, 8 hour period between repetitions of similar eclipses, a similar total eclipse will occur somewhere on Earth at a similar latitude. When and where will it be?
Describe the sequence of events that an observer on the Moon would see when we are seeing a total lunar eclipse on Earth.