Phases of the Moon with Lunar Observation Lab

Understanding the motion and phases of the Moon

Author: Sean S. Lindsay
Version 1.0 created 6 February 2019

Learning Goals
In this activity, you will learn the names for the phases of the Moon and that the
phases are caused by the position of the Moon in its orbit with respect to the Sun
and Earth. Students will also gain practical experience in naked-eye observations
with detailed, recorded notes, including sketches. Specifically, students will:
1) Address the misconception that the phases of the Moon are caused by Earth’s
shadow falling on the Moon. THIS IS NOT TRUE. The phases of the Moon are caused
by the geometry between the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
2) Understand the connections of the phases of the Moon and what time the Moon is
up in the sky.
3) Understand the difference between the synodic and sidereal periods of the Moon.
4) Learn how to accurately document observations.

1. The Phases of the Moon

It is a common misconception that the phases of the Moon are caused by Earth’s
shadow falling on the surface of the Moon blocking out some of the light. THIS IS NOT
TRUE. On relatively rare occasions, Earth’s shadow does fall on the Moon, but that is
what causes lunar eclipses, not the phases of the Moon. Additionally, for this to be
the case, the Moon would have to be positioned in its orbit so that the Earth’s
shadow could fall on it. If you think about the Moon orbiting around and around the
Earth, the opportunity for Earth’s shadow to fall on the Moon will only occur once per
trip around the Earth. This would occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are all in a
line with the Moon on the opposite side of the Earth. This simple thought experiment
is enough to show us that the Earth’s shadow falling on the Moon is an incorrect
explanation for what causes the phases of the Moon. What then, is the reason for the
lunar cycle of Moon phases?
1.1 The Lunar Cycle of Phases
Why is it that night after night, the appearance of the Moon slowly changes? Over the
course of 29.5 days, the Moon will slowly change its appearance in the sky, such that
after approximately one month, the Moon will return to the same appearance and
start the cycle over again. We refer to the specific appearances the Moon takes over
the 29.5-day cycle, the phases of the Moon. Starting with the bright part of the Moon
appearing as a thin crescent, day by day, the phase will change from a crescent, to
half illuminated, to fully illuminated, and then the pattern seemingly reverses and the
less of the visible Moon surface can be observed night after night until it can’t be

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 Figure. 1. The Lunar Cycle of phases excluding the New Moon, which cannot be seen. The
full cycle is shown starting at the upper left (Waxing Crescent) and proceeding from left-to-
right row-by-row, to the lower left (Waning Crescent). For reference, the first three depicted
phases would all be referred to as Waxing Crescents, and the first two Moons of the
second row would both be Waxing Gibbous Moons.
seen at all. It will then start all over again going through the exact same series of
appearances over the same time period of 29.5 days. And example of the phases of
the Moon is show in Figure 1.
Let’s go through a full cycle of phases. The start of the cycle is set to be the New
Moon phase. The New Moon phase is the one where we cannot see any of the
illuminated portion of the Moon. We are looking at the night side of the Moon during
this phase. On each successive night after the New Moon, we will see a bit more of
the right-hand side of the Moon illuminated as it goes through what is known as a
Waxing Crescent. This phase begins as a thin sliver of a crescent, sometimes
referred to as a “fingernail Moon,” which becomes a larger crescent from night to
night. Eventually the crescent will become a half-illuminated disk, which is called the
First Quarter phase (top right image in Fig. 1). After First Quarter, more than 50% of
the right-hand side illuminated in what is called the Waxing Gibbous. The Waxing
Gibbous phases ends when the full disk of the Moon will be illuminated during the
Full Moon phase (center image in Fig. 1). During this set of phases (New Moon to Full
Moon), where more of the Moon is illuminated from our Earthly perspective from
night to night, we say the Moon is waxing.
After the Full Moon, we begin to see less and less of the Moon illuminated night after
night, with the left-hand side now bright. While more than half of the left-hand side of
the Moon is illuminated, the Moon is in a Waning Gibbous; at half-illuminated disk it
is known as the Third Quarter; and at less than half, the Moon is a Waning Crescent.
Finally, it returns to our New Moon starting point where we are cannot see any of the
sunlit part of the Moon. During this set of phases (Full Moon to New Moon), where

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less of the Moon is illuminated from our Earthly perspective from night to night, we
say the Moon is waning.
This 29.5 day Lunar Cycle of phases (hereafter, Lunar cycle) defines the synodic
period of the Moon, or rather the time it takes to complete one full cycle of phases.
Images of the phases of the Lunar Cycle are shown in Fig. 1.
Note that in the preceding description of the waxing phases being bright on the right-
hand side and the waning phases bright on the left-hand side is the Lunar cycle for
the Northern hemisphere. If we were to describe the Lunar Cycle in the Southern
hemisphere, the waxing phases would be bright on the left-hand side, and the
waning phases would be bright on the right-hand side.
1.2 Understanding the Lunar Phases
The Moon is a large (radius, R = 1,738 km), mostly rocky sphere that orbits the Earth.
Since it is a rocky body, like the Earth, it gives off no visible light of its own. The Moon
“shines” due to sunlight reflecting off its surface and eventually reaching us here on
Earth. That means that half of the Moon’s spherical surface is in daylight at any given
time; again, just like the Earth. What causes the observed phases of the Moon is
what part of that sunlit portion of the Moon we can see here on Earth.

It is difficult to picture the spherical Moon orbiting around the Earth once every 27.3
days (the sidereal period) at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), while

the Earth itself is orbiting the sun at distance of 149,600,000 km (93,000,000 mi)
once every 365.25 days. However, this orbital motion determines how much, if any,
of the sunlit part of the Moon we can see from Earth. The portion of the sunlit side we
can see from Earth is what gives each phase its appearance. To help imagine this
motion and the view of the Moon from Earth, Fig. 2, provides a not-to-scale view of
the Earth-Moon system with sunlight coming in from the left at a relatively very far off
distance. In Fig. 2, eight orbital positions of the Moon are depicted showing the
nominal points in the orbit for each of the Moon phases. For this figure, we assume
we are looking down onto the North Pole of the Earth. In this standard view, the Earth
and Moon’s rotation and orbital direction are counter-clockwise (ccw).
In order to fully picture what each phase looks like as viewed from Earth, you must
imagine yourself standing on Earth looking up toward the Moon. With this in mind,
you can see that while the Moon is waxing that right-hand side of the Moon will be
bright; and that while the Moon is waning the left-hand side of the Moon will be
bright. As the Lunar Cycle of phases lasts 29.5 days, in approximately one week, the
Moon will move about a quarter of the way around its orbit (4 x 7 = 28 days; close to
the 29.5 days). This means that it takes about 1 week for the Moon to go from New
Moon to First Quarter; another week to go from First Quarter to Full Moon; another
week to go from Full Moon to Third Quarter; and finally, another week to go from
Third Quarter back to New Moon. Notice that this cycle takes about one moonth
month to complete.

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 Figure 2. The Lunar Cycle depicted on the orbital path of the Moon. The eight shown
Moons are the locations in the Moon’s orbit for the eight Moon phase names. Images of
what the Moon looks like when viewed from Earth are included in the boxes exterior to the
Moon’s orbit. In this image, we are looking down onto the North Pole of the Earth, which
rotates counterclockwise (ccw). The Moon also orbits ccw and completes a quarter of its
29.5-day synodic orbit in approximately one week.

1.3 The Difference Between Sidereal and Synodic Periods

So far, two cyclic time periods have been mentioned for the Moon. The first being the
29.5 days it takes from the Moon to complete a full cycle of phases, or rather go from
New Moon to New Moon, or equivalently, Full Moon to Full Moon. This 29.5-day time
period for the Lunar Cycle is the synodic period of the Moon. The second cyclic time
period is the 27.3 days, the sidereal period, it takes the Moon to complete a full
360° orbit around the Earth. Why is it that the time to complete a cycle of phases is
about two days longer than the time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth?
To understand this two-day difference, we have to account for both the Moon’s
orbital motion around the Earth, and the Earth’s orbital motion around the Sun. While
the Moon is completing its orbit around the Earth in 27.3 days, the Earth is also
moving along its orbit. Specifically, in 27.3 days, the Earth will move about 7.5% (100
x 27.3 days/365.25 days) along its orbit. This means that after 27.3 days, the angle
that between imaginary lines that connect the Sun and Earth, and the Earth and
Moon is about 27° (0.075 x 360° = 27°). From Fig. 2, we see that we observe a
New Moon when the Sun-Moon-Earth are in a straight line, or rather the angle
between the Sun-Earth and the Earth-Moon lines must be 0°. In order for the Moon
to get back to a New Moon and complete the New Moon to New Moon synodic
period, the Moon must orbit the additional 27° degrees. This will get the alignment
back to the Sun, Moon, and Earth being in a perfectly straight line. Using the fact that

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the Moon travels 360° in 27.3 days, we can determine that the Moon moves about
13.2 degrees per day (360 degrees/27.3 days = 13.2 degrees per day). So, it takes
about two addition days to travel the additional 27.3 degrees, thus explaining the
two-day difference between the sidereal and synodic periods. An astute reader will
have noticed that during that additional two-day period, the Earth will still be moving
in its orbit around the Sun, and this will create an additional angular difference the
Moon must “catch up” to in order to get back to a New Moon. This additional angular
difference explains why the more precise time difference between the sidereal and
synodic periods is 2.2 days, instead of just barely over 2.0 days.

2. The Moon Viewed from Earth

2.1 The Local Sky
As learned in an earlier lab, for the local sky, astronomers use the horizontal
coordinate system (altitude and azimuth) to describe the location of something in the
local sky. Azimuth (Az.) is how many degrees away from North spinning around
clockwise (East is Az. = 90°, South is Az. = 180°, and West is Az. = 270°). Altitude
is measured in number of degrees above the horizon (regardless of what direction
you are facing), such that an object on the horizon is 0° and an object directly above
your head, or what is known as your zenith, is 90°. The imaginary line that goes from
due South to due North and passes through the zenith is called the meridian. When
an object crosses your local meridian, it will be at its highest altitude for that day.
This meridian-crossing time is referred to as known as upper culmination. An
example of how astronomers use direction, altitude, zenith and meridian is provided
in Fig. 3. Notice that the combination of altitude and direction uniquely define the
position of the Moon.

Fig. 3. Example of a local horizon showing Fig. 4. A horizon diagram showing the
direction, altitude, zenith, and the meridian. daily motion of an object through the sky
Your task in the horizon Sketch is to create a for a Northern Hemisphere observer. The
two-dimensional version of this diagram. Sun and Moon move through the
southern sky. East, West, and South are
marked. The meridian with altitude
indicators is provided.

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 Figure 5. The meridian-crossing times for the phases of the Moon are shown. The times of
day are idealized such that Noon is 12 p.m. (by definition), sunset is at 6 p.m., midnight is
at 12 a.m., and sunrise is at 6 a.m.
Figure 3 gives you a 3D representation of your local sky. However, when you are
looking in a particular direction, it is more convenient to think of the view in a 2D
sense, like looking at a picture or a painting. When we consider this flat, 2D view to
examine how things move in the sky, we refer to the picture as a “horizon diagram.” A
horizon diagram provides an easy, convenient way to draw out where the Moon (or
Sun) is in the sky at any particular moment. As Northern Hemisphere observers, the
Moon and Sun always move through the southern sky. Figure 4 shows a horizon
diagram for an observer looking due South. It shows the motion of rising in the East
and setting in the West. For this lab, the object will be the Moon.
2.2 Moon Rise, Set, and Meridian-crossing Times
In an ideal case1, the Moon’s journey through the sky will take 12 hours. It will rise
due East, and after 6 hours, it will reach its highest altitude while crossing the
meridian, and then spend the next 6 hours moving through the western sky to set
due West.
Similar to how we define noon to be the time when the Sun crosses the meridian in
its daily motion through the sky, if you know the time that a given phase of the Moon

1 For the Sun, the ideal case will be at either of the equinoxes. For the Moon, the ideal case will be at

either of the equinoxes, when the Moon is at a position in its orbit that crosses the Earth-Sun plane (a
node). The Moon’s orbit is inclined by 5.2° with respect to the orbital plane of the Earth.

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would be crossing the meridian, you could use the Moon to determine the time. The
key is to know when a certain phase of the Moon will cross the meridian. Determining
the meridian-crossing time for the Moon is easier than it sounds. Figure 5 shows the
meridian-crossing times for the 8 nominal positions for the named phases of the
Moon. Additionally, it shows the rotation of the Earth with the times of day in an
idealized 12 hours of daylight, 12 hours of darkness day. Assuming the Moon takes
12 hours to rise in the East and then eventually set in the West, it would cross the
meridian halfway through that journey. So, the Moonrise time as 6 hours before the
meridian-crossing time, and the Moonset time as 6 hours after the meridian-crossing
time. Summarizing that information to determine the Moon rise, meridian-crossing,
and set times, we get Table 1: Moon Rise, Set, and Meridian-crossing Times. One of
the lab activities is to complete Table 1 using what you learned in this lab and Figure
5.

Table 1. Moon Rise, Set, and Meridian-crossing Times

Lunar Phase Moon Rise Meridian-crossing Moon Set
New Moon 6 am 12 pm 6 pm
Waxing Crescent 9 am 3 pm 9 pm
1st Quarter 6 pm
Waxing Gibbous 3 pm 9 pm 3 am
Full Moon 6 pm 6 am
Waning Gibbous
3rd Quarter 12 am 6 am 12 pm
Waning Crescent 3 am

2.3 The Moon as a Clock

With an understanding of the progression of phases, and being able to determine the
rise, set, and meridian-crossing times for a particular phase of the Moon, we are now
equipped to learn how to use the Moon as a clock. A major activity of this lab is being
able to recognize the phase of the Moon and then use the rise, set, and meridian-
crossing times to determine what time of the day it is.
Figure 6 shows a horizon diagram for a Waxing Crescent Moon at three-hour intervals
from Moonrise to Moonset. Figure 5 and Table 1 indicate that a Waxing Crescent
Moon has a meridian-crossing time of 3 pm. In our idealized view of 12 hours from
rise to set, that means the Moon would have risen 6 hours before 3 pm. So, the
Waxing Crescent Moon rises at 9 am. It will set 6 hours after 3 pm. So, the Waxing
Crescent Moon sets at 9 pm.

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 Figure 6. A horizon diagram for a
Waxing Crescent Moon at three-
hour intervals from Moonrise to
Moonset. Note that the 3 pm
meridian-crossing time can be
read off directly from Figure 5 and
Table 1.

This gives the generalized method on how to use the Moon as a clock:
Determine the meridian-crossing time for that phase of the Moon using Figure 5. The
Moon rise time is 6 hours before the meridian-crossing time, and the Moon set time
is 6 hours after the meridian-crossing time.
In some of the exercises, you will be given the phase of the Moon at a location on a
horizon diagram, and you will have to determine the time. In other exercises, you will
be given a phase of the Moon and a time, and you will have to place the Moon at the
correction location on a horizon diagram. In both cases, using the meridian-crossing
time for a particular phase is the key to answering the question.

Lab Activity 1: Observing the Lunar Cycle with Stellarium

In this activity, the lab instructor will demonstrate the daily motions of the Moon and
the complete lunar cycle of phases using Stellarium.
Stellarium Instructions
Based on the current phase of the Moon, determine when the Moon will be rising for
the current date.
Turn on the celestial meridian line
Rewind time to the time of Moonrise. Record the date, identify the phase of the
Moon, and record the Moon rising time.
Advance time so you can observe the Moon rising in the East, crossing the meridian,
and setting in the West. Stop the motion at the meridian-crossing and Moonset.
Record those times.

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Advance to the next day and bring the time to the point of the next Moonrise. Record
the time and determine how much later the Moon rises between the first observation
and second.
Advance time one day at a time to observe how the Moon changes its phases from
night to night. Stop at the following phases and record the dates they occur on
(Question 9):
New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, Third Quarter, and the next time the Moon
appears in the phase you began at.

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Name:
Lab Instructor:
Lab Meeting Day/Time:
Phases of the Moon Student Activity Sheet
Lab Activity 1: Stellarium Question Responses
1. What is the phase of the Moon?

2. What is the date?

3. What is that Moon’s Moonrise time?

4. Want is that Moon’s meridian-crossing time?

5. What is that Moon’s Moonset time?

6. Describe the appearance of the Moon as it moves through the sky from rising in
the East, crossing the meridian, and setting in the West.
Does the phase always appear the same?

Is its orientation always the same?

7. What is the time difference between Moonrise between the first day observed
and the second day?

8. Is the disk of the Moon more, or less, illuminated compared with the previous
night? Use that information to determine if the Moon is waxing or waning.

9. Record the dates the following phases occur: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon,
Third Quarter, and the next appearance of the phase you started with. List them
in the order they occur. If you started on one of the four listed phases, you can
skip the next appearance of the phase the simulation started on.

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10. Use the information in Question 9 to determine how long it took the Moon to go
through a full cycle of phases in days [Round to the nearest day]. How does that
compare with the 29.5 day synodic period of the Moon?

Lab Activity 2: Understanding the Phases of the Moon Exercises

Please answer the following questions relating to today’s Phases of the Moon Lab. At
the end of this lab are the instructions for the outside-of-class lab, The Lunar
Observation Lab, where you will make your own observations of the Moon over a few
weeks’ time.

11. For the two following phases of the Moon, draw the Moon at the correct location
in its orbit around Earth and determine the correct meridian-crossing time for that
phase using Figure 5. Shade the night side of the Moon you drew, and in the
provided space, sketch what the Moon would look like from Earth.

Phase: Full Moon Phase: First Quarter

Meridian-crossing time: Meridian-crossing Time:

Phase: Waning Crescent Phase: Waxing Gibbous

Meridian-crossing Time: Meridian-crossing Time:

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12. Use Figure 5 to complete Table 1. A copy of Table one appears below. Fill out this
one.

Table 1. Moon Rise, Set, and Meridian-crossing Times

Lunar Phase Moon Rise Meridian-crossing Moon Set
New Moon 6 am 12 pm 6 pm
Waxing Crescent 9 am 3 pm 9 pm
1st Quarter 6 pm
Waxing Gibbous 3 pm 9 pm 3 am
Full Moon 6 pm 6 am
Waning Gibbous
3rd Quarter 12 am 6 am 12 pm
Waning Crescent 3 am

13. Describe the difference between the synodic and sidereal periods of the Moon.

14. You are in Knoxville, TN, in the Northern hemisphere. You look up and see the
Moon as it is due South crossing your local meridian. You notice that the left-hand
side of the Moon is illuminated.
a. Is the Moon waxing or waning?

b. Describe the difference between a waxing and waning.

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15. Fill in the missing information. The light-gray side is the illuminated portion of the
Moon and the black-side is the side you cannot see.

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16. Fill in the missing information. The light-gray side is the illuminated portion of the
Moon and the black-side is the side you cannot see.

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17. Fill in the missing information. The light-gray side is the illuminated portion of the
Moon and the black-side is the side you cannot see.

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18. Fill in the missing information. The light-gray side is the illuminated portion of the
Moon and the black-side is the side you cannot see.

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19. Draw a Moon in the correct phase in the correct location on the horizon diagram.

20. The current phase of the Moon is ____________________ [provided by lab

instructor, or Google]. In the Lunar Observation Lab, you will make at least 6
observations of the Moon at the same time of day over the course of 1 to 3
weeks. As can be seen by Figure 5 & Table 1, over the course of 1 week, the
Moon will rise about 6 hours later, or rather, about 50 minutes later per day. At
some point in your observations, you will likely need to change your observation
time. Use this information to pick what time is best for you to make your
observations of the Moon.
What time will you do your Lunar Observations? _______________________

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The Lunar Observation Lab
Understanding the Phases of the Moon by Observing Them
Author: Sean S. Lindsay
Version 2.1 Created September 2019
For this lab, you are going to make a series of observations of the Moon over a 2 to 3-
week period. The observations of the Moon will be made in a controlled, and
systematic way, to most efficaciously reinforce the main lessons in the Phases of the
Moon Lab. You will make at least EIGHT observations of the Moon noting its location in
the sky and its phase. For the observations, you use the time determined in Question 10 of
the Phases of the Moon Lab. To the best of your ability, you will face DUE SOUTH for
your observations.
At least SIX of EIGHT of your observations need to be on nights when you can locate the
Moon. The weather in East TN is known for being cloudy. If it is cloudy, try making your
observation an hour later than normal. If this is the case, please note so on your
Observation Sheets. If the clouds do not clear, you can report that as a CLOUDY night.
You learned in the Phases of the Moon Lab that the time the Moon will rise, and set,
depends on the phase of the Moon. More so, every day, the moon will rise approximately
50 minutes later than the previous day. Equivalently, the Moon will set about 50 minutes
later each day. Over the course of two to three weeks, the rise/set times will change by 12
to 18 hours. So, you may reach a point in your observations when the Moon has not yet
risen or has already set at your observation time. If this is the case, report MOON HAS
NOT RISEN, or MOON HAS SET, as your observation and determine a new time to
make the remainder of your observations. Note the change in your observation time on
your LOL Observation Sheet marked with MOON HAS NOT RISEN or MOON HAS
SET.
You can report MOON HAS NOT RISEN, MOON HAS SET, or CLOUDY for a
maximum of TWO of your EIGHT observations. In other words, you need SIX lunar
observations in total to receive full credit for this lab.
The instructions on how to record these observations on the Observation Sheets are
provided below.
INSTRUCTIONS:
All of your successful observations must be documented. These documented
observations will be reviewed by your lab instructor. After the first week of
observations, you will be required to turn in at least one observation so your
instructor can give you feedback on whether or not you are doing them correctly.
You will record your observations on our Observation Sheets, which are available on
the Astronomy Lab Website under Lab Exercises.
Step 1, Lunar Observation Documentation:
An important part of making any observation is to have accurate records of that
observation. In general, observation logs should include detailed notes including
when the observation was made, all the details of that particular observation (who
made them and what was observed), the conditions under which it was made, any

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events outside of the norm that occurred, and any other notes the researcher might
find useful at a later date. In the case of your Lunar Observations, you will record this
information in the upper left panel of your Observation Sheets. Prompts with blank
spaces to write in the relevant information have been provided. Please write your
name in the space for your name. Also, record what observation number this is in the
sequence of your observations, and put the date that the observation was made.
For “Direction” you need to record
what direction where the Moon Table 1. Degrees for nominal directions
appeared. This direction is more Direction Abbreviation Angle
formally known as azimuth. (degrees)
Azimuth is one of the two
coordinates in the horizontal North N 0
coordinate system for local skies. North East NE 45
For this, it is recommended that
you download a compass East E 90
application for your smart phone South East SE 135
and record the direction based on
a compass reading. For example, South S 180
due North (N), East (E), South (S), South West SW 225
and West (W) would be 0°, 90°,
180°, and 270°, respectively. If West W 270
you use a compass, record your North West NW 315
best estimate of Moon’s azimuth
at the time of your observation. If you do not have access to a compass, record your
direction as to the best of your ability using the information provided in Table 1. For
example, you can record the direction as SW or write 225°.
For “Altitude” you need to record your best estimate of what altitude the Moon
appears at during your observation. Altitude is a measurement in degrees of how
high above the horizon an object is. Straight ahead to your horizon is altitude 0° and
straight up, or rather, your zenith, is altitude 90°. Altitude is the second coordinate in
the horizontal coordinate system for local skies.
A convenient way to measure the altitude is using the face that a closed fist held at
arm’s length is roughly 10°. Start at the horizon and count how many “fists” the
Moon is above the horizon. If it is about 3.5 “fists,” then the altitude would be
10*3.5 = 35°.
For “Phase” you need to record the phase of the Moon as you observe it in. For the
phase names, please refer to the Phases of the Moon Lab. Note that while only eight
phase names are given, the Moon will have one of these phase names applied to it
for every night during a lunar cycle. Record any thin to thick crescent/gibbous as
either a Waxing or Waning Crescent/Gibbous. If the disk of the Moon is close to half
illuminated, but it is difficult to tell if it is more or less than 50% illuminated, then
recording the phase as First or Third Quarter is appropriate.
The space “Additional Notes” is provided to you for to write any additional notes you
think are relevant for your observation. An example might be, “Partially obscured by

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clouds”, or any other information you might want to remember later or provide to your
instructor.

Step 2, Lunar Observation Sketches

An important part of understanding the phases of the Moon and the lunar cycle is to
observe the Moon night after night and document its appearance and where the
Moon is in the sky at what time of day/night. To this end, in addition to the
information recorded in the upper left panel of your Observation Sheets, you will also
make three sketches for each observation. On the bottom panel of the Observation
Sheet, you have been provided with spaces to make a sketch of how the Moon
appears during your observation and a horizon diagram. For the horizon diagram, you
need to draw the correct phase and location in the sky. See the Phases of the Moon
Lab, where you worked with several horizon diagrams if you need help with this
sketch.
In the circle marked as Observation Sketch, you need to sketch what the phase of
the Moon looks like. Provide as much detail as you can, including any differences in
coloration (lighter gray versus darker grey areas) and the location of the terminator,
or rather the line between the day-side and the night-side of the Moon.
A two-dimensional view of the southern horizon is provided to the right of the
Observation Sketch. Here, in the Horizon Sketch, you need to indicate where in the
sky the Moon is during your observation. This information should reflect the direction
and altitude that you have recorded for the observation. Each night, the Moon will
rise in the East, travel through the Southern sky across the meridian, and set in the
West. However, what time the Moon rises, appears highest in the sky (when it
crosses the meridian), and sets on depends on what phase, or rather where in its
orbit around the Earth, the Moon is in. On the Horizon Sketch, draw a miniature
version of the Moon in your Observation Sketch where and how high you see it in the
sky. It is not required, but it is encouraged to provide as much detail, such as
landmarks on the sketch. An example of a Horizon Sketch can be seen in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. An example of a filled in Horizon Sketch for a First Quarter Moon.

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The final sketch you need to make, in the Orbit Sketch area, is an indication of where
the Moon is in its orbit. This is not a direct observation, but rather, it is there to
provide context to all of your lunar observations. Recall that the phases of the Moon
are caused by the location of the Moon in its orbit; this determines what part of the
illuminated Moon is seen from the Earth. Using your knowledge of the phases of the
Moon, draw a circle representing the Moon at the approximate correct position for
the observed phase. Note that the Moon is constantly orbiting the Earth and so is
constantly moving around the circle representing the Moon’s orbit. Hence, it may be
at a location between the 8 nominal phases depicted in the Phases of the Moon Lab
figures.

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