ASTRO 1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Lunar Eclipse, Lunar Phase, The Moons
Document Summary
Eclipses and the motion of the moon. 3-1 the phases of the moon are caused by its orbital motion. The moon orbits earth; the earth-moon system as a whole orbits the sun. Light from the moon --> reflected light. Lunar phases: different amounts of illuminated half of the moon. Dark hemisphere of the moon faces earth. Rise around sunrise, set around sunset (located near the sun) Half of the moon"s illuminated hemisphere and half of the dark hemisphere. Rise and set about 6 hours after sun does. Rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. The moon rises and sets about an hour later each night. 3-2 the moon always keeps the same face toward earth. The moon always keeps essentially the same hemisphere toward earth. Synchronous rotation: it takes exactly as long for the moon to rotate on its axis as it does to make one orbit around the earth. No part of the moon is perpetually in darkness.
