AST101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Lunar Eclipse, Supermoon, Ecliptic

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST101H1
• Professor: Netterfield

Document Summary

Only half of the moon is illuminated at any one time: the phase changes as the moon orbits the earth. Waxing present moon, can see the sun and moon most of the day. Waxing: moon visible in afternoon/evening: gets fuller and rises later each day. Waning: moon visible in late night/morning: gets less full and sets later each day. A full moon rises near 6pm and sets near 6am. A quarter moon either rises near noon and sets near midnight, or rises near midnight and sets near noon depending on if it is waxing or waning. The moon rotates as it orbits, so the same side always faces the earth: the far side of the moon can never be seen from earth. When aligned right, the moon can cast a shadow on the earth (solar eclipse) or the earth can cast a shadow on the moon (lunar eclipse)