Astro 201 Exercise 4

Questions:

1. What time of day is a full moon highest in the sky?
2. At about 6 p.m. I look high in the sky and I see a moon. In what phase is it?
3. I keep watch all day and all night but I never see the moon. (It isn't cloudy, so) in what phase must the moon be?
4. Last week I saw a full moon. What time should I look to see a moonrise tonight?

Answers:

1. Midnight: full moon is opposite the sun.
2. First quarter: moon is overhead at sunset, so it is 90 degrees from the sun.
3. A new moon is difficult to see - it is too near the sun.
4. A week from full puts the moon in last quarter phase. A last quarter moon rises around midnight.

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