Questions tagged [the-moon]
Questions regarding Earth's only natural satellite. For questions about the natural satellites of other planets, use the tag [natural-satellite].
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strange moonset around 10 pm (3.2 2014, NZ) - explanation?
during a visit to New Zealand we observed (on 3.2 2014) a strange moonset in Te Anau.
Around 10 pm, shortly after sunset, the moon appeared, but then quickly began to go down, and about 1 hour or ...
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Formulas to determine the illuminated phase and orientation of the Moon
The phase of the Moon (the bright limb) looks different depending on where on Earth the observer is located and the time of the observation. I've located this video and the accompanying spreadsheet ...
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Why is the outline of a crescent moon brighter?
Some quick googling has given me the answer to whether seeing part of the moon that receives no sunlight is an optical illusion or not: it isn't. Earthshine lights the moon enough for the human eye to ...
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Any possibility for life on moons of planets in our Solar System
We all focused on our moon, to find water or life, or any thing related to life. But my question is, is there any chance for life in moons of other planets in our solar system, others have too many ...
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When we see half moon, why is it always the lower half?
Even if we see a crescent moon, always the lower circumference is visible. Why we never see this?
PS: this image is vertically inverted.
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Why don't stars move in the night-sky as the moon does?
I want to know why don't we see a change in the position of stars during the night while we do see a change in the position of the moon. I've checked other online sources and some answers say that it ...
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What distance has the moon been from earth at the closest?
For every year, the moon is orbiting further away from earth.
What distance has the moon been from earth at the closest?
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Recommended papers
I am highly interested in how the moon originated. Theories suggest that the moon is a chunk of the earth, or rather, both were at one point one celestial body. Is there any literature out there with ...
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Why can we sometimes see the moon during the day?
At some points in the year, the moon at my location can be clearly visible during the day. Why is this?
If it is any help, I live in Alberta, Canada.
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Could something temporarily break the Moon's tidal lock?
Would it be possible for something to cause the Moon to start rotating at a different rate, breaking its tidal lock with Earth, without ripping it apart?
If so, would the Moon's tidal lock eventually ...
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How to calculate the altitude of the Moon?
With the known latitude coordinate of the observing position, how to find the altitude of the moon when it is high, i.e when it crosses the local meridian?
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Lunar Soil: what are those "bumps" and how were they formed?
I was watching a video of the chinese lunar landing and saw numerous bumps in the soil. What are they? Is there any theory that explains how they came into existence?
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Official registry of lunar placenames?
What's the definitive source for names of geographic objects on the moon?
Reason: As a computer graphics project I've rendered a scene based on LROC terrain data. I want to know what I'm looking at.
...
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Is there any telescope on Earth that can see the lunar rovers on the moon?
If I have the right numbers, it seems to me that even Hubble telescope might barely be able to make out a carcass of a blue whale on the surface of the moon, which puts objects as small as the lunar ...
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Is the rotation of the Sun and the rotation/orbit of the Moon around the Earth a coincidence?
While looking at sunspot information in connection with Amateur Radio, I found that the Sun rotates on a period from 27 days to 31 days. Its rotation is differential, at the equator it spins at a ...
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Is there a pattern between the mass of a body and the mass of orbiting objects around it?
I was looking at Wikipedia's Solar system page, and it says that Sun represents 99.86% of the whole solar system mass. I found that pretty huge.
So i calculated ratio of masses : Earth / (Earth + ...
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How do people measure the distance between the Earth and The Moon?
How do people measure the distance between the Earth and The Moon?
What methods were used? Where can I find the official data?
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USNO moon images look quite different?
I visited:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/imagery/moon
http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/time/moon-phase-images
within seconds of each other, and saw two very different "current moon images":
Is one of ...
user21
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What is the distance that the Moon travels during one orbit around the Earth?
Also, does it always take the same amount of time, or does it fractionally differ on each revolution?
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Is lunar elevation at a given location for a given day unimodal?
Is lunar elevation at a given location for a given day unimodal:
Unimodal function
In other words, once the moon's elevation reaches a minimum (which may
be above or below the horizon depending on ...
user21
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How can I calculate moon phase and height?
How could I know what phase the moon is in when it's high in the sky during sunrise?
How could I tell in general what its height in the sky will be at any given time?
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Is it possible the Nebular Hypothesis and Planetesimal Theory are not correct? [closed]
For almost 3 centuries now the Nebular Hypothesis and Planetesimal Theory have become the preeminent explanations for how the Solar System and Planets evolved. Yet there is still no explanation for ...
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Finding the solar noon based on longitude and latitude?
Please could someone advise the best method of finding the solar noon based on location?
http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight/suns-position
The stuff on here has been helpful but I ...
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How much of an effect does the moon have on Earth's liquid mantle?
The gravitational pull of the moon is enough to create tidal forces of large bodies of liquid, i.e the sea.
I was having a conversation the other day about how to terraform Mars, and someone ...
user96
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Is the moon rotation at complete standstill? [duplicate]
Moon always faces Earth with one side, its spin period equal its orbital period - this is what we learn at school.
But I know Nature rarely operates in absolutes. I'd find it hard to believe Moon ...
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Day and night temperature on an earthlike planet with longer rotational period [closed]
I'm trying to understand the climatic effects of the far future scenario of an Earth-like planet with a reduced rotational speed caused by tidal locking with the moon (day-night period of 28 days, one ...
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From which country or area is the new moon visible first?
Being able to see the Moon is dependant on various factors like sunset timing etc. Considering all these factors, which country or area of the world sees the new moon first? I am asking about the new ...
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Does the Moon's magnetic field affect Earth's magnetic field?
I wanted to ask a question; it's simple but I cannot find any possible and perfect solution.
Earth has poles, North and South. By which we can get directions using a compass or a needle compass, but ...
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Why does the Moon stablize Earth's axis?
In an academic study titled 'The Moon and the Origin of Life on Earth' it is said that
'If the Moon did not exist, the orientation of the Earth’s axis would not be stable, and would be subject to ...
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Does the Moon Have Enough Water for Robert Zubrin's Mars settlement Plan To Work?
In Robert Zubrin's "The Case for Mars" he outlines a plan to settle Mars by(among other things) finding water and using electrolysis to break up water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. This provides fuel for ...
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Why is the Moon receding from the Earth due to tides? Is this typical for other moons?
After reading the Q&A Is the moon moving further away from Earth and closer to the Sun? Why? about the tides transferring energy to the Moon and pushing it from Earth, I have a question:
How is ...
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Does the Moon have any oxygen in its atmosphere?
Since the moon has gravity, it's almost impossible that there aren't some gasses trapped on the surface by the moon's gravity. Has any free-floating oxygen been found on the Moon? If so, in what ...
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Have we ever observed a large meteor hit the Moon?
Since the moon has no atmosphere, its surface has many more meteorite impacts than Earth's does.
Image source
Have we ever observed a meteor strike the surface of the Moon?
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If the moon wasn't receding from Earth, what would be the impact on the weather and tides?
Moon is slowly receding from Earth, which means that after its formation it was much closer to the Earth than now. How would weather look like if it wasn't receding at it would be now as close as at ...
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What is the current theory for the formation of the Earth's Moon?
Given that the Earth and Moon are often said in the literature to have very similar geochemistry, what is the current theory as to how the Earth's Moon formed?
user8
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How does moonrise/moonset azimuth vary with time?
In my tenacious attempts to observe moonrise (surprisingly difficult in a poor weather heavily urbanized hilly area with frequent bad smog, with busy work schedule and a bicycle) I was frequently ...
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Why does the Moon seem larger when it is close to the horizon? [duplicate]
I've noticed that when I look into the sky at night, sometimes the moon appears very large near the horizon. Sometimes it also looks like it has a yellow tint.
Is this the light rays bouncing off ...
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Do other planets in our solar system experience eclipses or is this unique to Earth?
Here on Earth we get to experience lunar and solar eclipses. Is this pure coincidence that everything happens to line up?
Do other planets in the solar system experience this phenomenon or is this ...
user96
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Why does the moon sometimes appear giant and a orange red color near the horizon?
I've read various ideas about why the moon looks larger on the horizon. The most reasonable one in my opinion is that it is due to how our brain calculates (perceives) distance, with objects high ...
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Is the moon moving further away from Earth and closer to the Sun? Why?
According to The NASA Moon Facts page:
The moon is actually moving away from earth at a rate of 1.5 inches per year.
Why is the moon moving further away from the Earth? Is this a result of the ...
user96
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Navigation using moon phases
How to navigate with possible maximal precision using moon phases?
The Moon is the brightest celestial body seen in the night sky, and it is possible to find even through moderate clouds. So it's a ...
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Why is only one side of the Moon visible from Earth?
Why do we only ever see the same side of the moon?
If this is to do with gravity are there any variables which mean we might one day see more than we have before?
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