ASTR 1P01 Lecture Notes - Solar Eclipse, Lunar Phase, Orbital Period

• School: Brock University
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: ASTR 1P01
• Professor: Bozidar Mitrovic

Document Summary

The average earth moon distance is 384,401 km. The moon"s orbit is slightly elliptical (eccentricity= 6%) The moon revolves once around the earth every 27. 32 days relative to the stars (sidereal period) The moon"s orbit is tipped by about 5 relative to the ecliptic (i. e to orbital plane of the earth) Phases of the moon are produced b varying amounts of illumination or its surface that we can see. Full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous. Earth is spinning fast and the moon is moving more slow. Should be able to draw the faces of the moon. The lunar phases repeat with a period of 29. 53 days about one month (so- called synodic period) Eclipses (of the sun and the moon): the moon"s orbit is tipped at about 5 to the earth"s orbit. The moon is above the earth"s orbit for half a month and below for the other half.