Questions

1. What is the average rate of movement of the moon over the course of your observations?
2. Based on this rate (degrees/day) how long would it take for the moon to complete its orbit (360 ) around the earth?
3. How does this compare to the actual orbital period of the moon?
4. Why is it so critical that you do your observations at the same time each night?
5. Draw a bird's-eye view diagram of the earth, moon, sun system. Include in this diagram the moon in positions corresponding to your multiple observations. Indicate also the direction of rotation and revolution of the earth and moon respectively.
6. What phase must the moon be in just prior to a lunar or solar eclipse? Draw these earth, moon, sun diagrams as well.
7. Find listings of daily moonrise and sunrise times for this quarter and make a graph of the date vs. rising time for each. (You can find these listings by looking in the newspaper, an almanac or the Web.)
8. Sketch what these graphs might look like if you plotted them for the entire year. How do the moon and sun graphs differ and why?