The Phases of the Moon (applying the scientific method)

• How does the appearance of the moon change?
  • what are the phases of the Moon?
  • at what time of the day or night do we see a full moon?
  • at what time of the day or night do we see a new moon?
  • what is its periodicity (how long till the pattern repeats)?
  • does the same side of the Moon always face the Earth (is it tidally locked)?
• Does the Moon ever seem closer or further away?
• Does the Moon ever seem brighter or fainter?
• What makes the Moon shine?

• What do we know about the orientation of the Earth, Moon, and Sun?
• Remember that the Earth spins around its own axis once a day. This means the Sun, the Moon, and the stars all appear to rise in the east and to set in the west.
• A movie showing a series of observations of the Moon taken over the course of a month
• A movie of a lunar eclipse
  • here, the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the light
  • the movie is roughly one hour long
  • how is this similar to the phases of the Moon?
  • how is it different from the phases of the Moon?

• If the Moon has phases when viewed from the Earth, does the Earth have phases when viewed from the Moon?

  [NASA image of the Earth rising over the lunar surface, taken by the Apollo 11 spacecraft.]