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Chapter 3: Problem 26

What is the phase of the Moon if it rises at (a) midnight; (b) sunrise; (c) halfway between sunset and midnight; (d) halfway between noon and sunset? Explain your answers.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The phase of the Moon is: (a) Full Moon; (b) Last Quarter; (c) First Quarter; (d) Waxing Crescent

Step by step solution

01

Phase of Moon at Midnight

If the Moon rises at midnight, it implies it is approximately on the opposite side from the Sun. Only a full moon rises around midnight. Therefore, the phase of the moon is Full Moon.
02

Phase of Moon at Sunrise

If the Moon rises at sunrise, then it is in line with the Sun but on the opposite side of the Earth. This would be the third quarter or last quarter moon phase.
03

Phase of Moon Halfway between Sunset and Midnight

This time interval usually indicates that the moon is in its First Quarter phase. In this phase, the moon would be observed to be half illuminated.
04

Phase of Moon Halfway between Noon and Sunset

This time interval of the moon's appearance signifies the initial phase of the Waxing Crescent. In this case, the visible illumination of the Moon is increasing, but less than half is illuminated.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(a) Suppose the diameter of the Moon were doubled, but the orbit of the Moon remained the same. Would total solar eclipses be more common, less common, or just as common as they are now? Explain. (b) Suppose the diameter of the Moon were halved, but the orbit of the Moon remained the same. Explain why there would be no total solar eclipses.

If the Moon revolved about the Earth in the same orbit but in the opposite direction, would the synodic month be longer or shorter than the sidereal month? Explain your reasoning.

How many more sidereal months than synodic months are there in a year? Explain.

Describe the cycle of lunar phases that would be observed if the Moon moved around the Earth in an orbit perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit. Would it be possible for both solar and lunar eclipses to occur under these circumstances? Explain your reasoning.

The Moon is highest in the sky when it crosses the meridian (see Figure 2-21), halfway between the time of moonrise and the time of moonset. What is the phase of the Moon if it is highest in the sky at (a) midnight; (b) sunrise; (c) noon; (d) sunset? Explain your answers.
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