Moon Observations Project - Lab Report Example

Moon Observation Project This project was carried out by observing the moon for two weeks. The observation was done every night at the same time each day so that the earth returns to the same position in space for each observation. The observation was done an hour after the sunset, and therefore the observation had to start a day after the new moon. The new moon appeared on 1st March 2014 and the observation resumed on 2nd March 2014. During the observation, the following was done each day of observation: 1. The moon was located in the sky. 2. The shape of the moon was observed and drawn. 3. The altitude of the moon was measured using fists. The hand was stretched towards the horizon and a fist made. The fists were to be stacked together using both hands. This was done by putting one fist on top of the other and another on top of the other while counting until one-fist points to the moon. The total number of fists were counted and recorded. 4. The direction on the horizon was also measured using fists. An imaginary line was dropped from the moon to the horizon. The true North was identified and the number of fists was counted that made up the direction from the North to the imaginary line. The number of fists was also recorded. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 2nd March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 5 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 9 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one third Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 3rd March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 5 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 8 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one third Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 4th March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 7 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one half Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 5th March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 7 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one half Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 6th March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 7 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 7 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one half Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 7th March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 7 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 6 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: The moon appears partly illuminated. The part illuminated is less than one half Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 8th March 2014 Time: 7.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 7 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 6 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: This is the first quarter. One-half of the moons are illuminated Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 9th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 7 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 6 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 10th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 6 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 11th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 7 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 12th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 7 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 13th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 8 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 14th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 6 fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 8 ½ fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: More than a half of the moon appears illuminated, but not the whole moon. Moon Observation Log Sheet Date: 15th March 2014 Time: 8.44 pm Location: San Francisco CA Observing Conditions: The sky was clear, many stars were visible, and there were minimal clouds. A clear view of the moon was available. Location of the Moon Altitude of the moon: 5 ½ fists above the horizon Direction on horizon: 9 fists due south towards East to the point under the moon. Shape of the moon Comments on observation: This is the full moon since the moon’s illuminated side is facing the earth. SUMMARY OF MOON POSITIONS It was observed that the part illuminated to the earth increased in size gradually until the 14th day when the whole moon was illuminated on the earth. The full moon came up on the 14th day, which was 15th March. The observation was started a day after the new moon. All the stages from new moon to waxing crescent to first quarter to waxing gibbous to full moon were observed in the 14 days. CONCLUSION The diagram below shows the sun, moon and earth diagrams. The dashed lines show the view from the earth. The curved arrows show the moon orbit as it goes around the earth and the direction of rotation. The moons on the outer part show the shape visible from the earth at every point. One-half of the moons are always illuminated by the sun. The differing positions of the moon on the earth are brought about by the rotation of the moon around the earth. The shape of the moon visible from the earth is because of the part of the moon surface illuminated on the earth. From the diagram above, the new moon appears when the moon is between the sun the earth. The part of the moon surface that is illuminated by the sun is not visible to the earth. During the waning crescent, the moon is not directly between the sun and the earth due to rotation. This makes part of the illuminated side of the moon to be visible to the earth. The illuminated part differs according to the position of the moon on its orbit around the sun. This brings out the different shapes observed during the new moon, waxing crescent, waxing gibbous, waning gibbous, waning crescent and first and last quarter. During the full moon. The earth is between the sun and the moon. This makes all the part of the moon illuminated by the sun visible to the earth. Reference Wlasuk, Peter. Observing the moon. London: Springer, 2000. Print. Read More