Maybe by now after observing the moon for several weeks you have noticed that you see the same side of the moon every night...why is that? Does the moon move? It's not in the same place in the sky every night, so it must be moving. Photographers have taken pictures of the moon over a period of days and have noticed that the moon has a regular and predictable path in the sky. This path, plus the moon's phases have helped farmers and scientists create calendars. These calendars are so accurate and precise that we know what the moon phase will be for December 21, 2052! Scientists also know where in the sky the moon will be on that day as well. The moon's motion lags behind the stars. In fact it takes 27.3 days for the moon to revolve around the Earth. This is NOT how long it takes to complete the moon phases. It takes 29.5 days for the moon to complete its phases. Because Earth is also moving around the Sun, the Moon must travel more than 360 degrees to bring Earth, Moon and Sun back into the same relative positions or alignment. We learned Friday that the whole Sun, Earth, Moon system is rather complex. Because the moon is so predictable we have learned that the moon revolves around the Earth counterclockwise, the Earth revolves around the Sun counterclockwise and the Sun rotates counterclockwise! We also know Earth's little satellite rotates counterclockwise just like the Sun, and Earth. Does this information give us any clues as to how our Solar System could have formed? The above video is the first of its kind to show what our moon looks like as it makes its revolution around the Earth. Fascinating! I think I could sit and watch spinning things for a couple of hours, its very satisfying. They say spinning can make you smarter....
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |