Which way the moon?

[peter2407]

No doubt this will identify me as a muppet, but here goes ... In the same way that we have 'The sun rises in the east and sets in the west', is there anything similar for the moon? Out in the garden tonight, a clear starlit evening, I looked all over the place for the moon, but didnt have a starting point re direction. Signed. Kermit the (french odd texture of chicken taste of fish pleasure level of vomit) Frog.

 

[VicS]

In London, Today moon rise was 11:38 and moon set 19:52

It crossed the meridian at 15:42 at an altitude of 16.8°

 

[Hoolie]

Not really 'cos it moves round. I had similar doubts because I felt guilty as didn't know which way the moon moves from night to night. However from observation it moves against the rotation of the sun, stars etc. A waning moon follows the sun towards the west and a waxing moon leads the sun in the east.

 

[earlybird]

The position of moon rise and set will vary with season and, to some extent the phase.
EG. The full moon rises and sets opposite the sun. So, in mid winter the full moon will rise NE and set NW. In mid-summer it will be SE and SW. New moon vice-versa.
At the equinoxes it will be E and W. All directions very approximate.
Timing varies with the phase and will be roughly 1 hour later each day as the moon moves to the east in the sky.
The altering timing means rising and setting isn't always visible.
I hope that's right!

 

[Coaster]

Keeping it simple, and to answer the OP, the moon also rises in the East and sets in the West.

However, unlike the sun, the moon rises approximately 50 minutes later each day. When the hours of darkness are about the same length as the hours of daylight, i.e. March and September (the equinoxes), when the sun is going down the full moon is coming up.

A week later the moon will be coming up around midnight. You'll see the left hand half illuminated. This phase is called the Last Quarter (as it's threequarters of the way through the 28 days from one new moon to the next.

Another week on and the moon and sun are coming up and going down at about the same time. Little or nothing of the moon is illuminated. This is the new moon. During the next few days the moon appears as a (right-handed) crescent, setting one or a few hours later than the sun. This is the current state of the moon - there was a super view of the crescent moon today, where we are.

A week after the new moon we have the first quarter, i.e. the right hand half of the moon illuminated. By this time the moon is rising at about midday. Seven days further on it's back to full moon.

This is a rough description of what happens. You can of course learn lots more from numerous sources. I like to know what the moon's current phase is, both for interest and so that I know whether tides are springs, neaps or in between.

Hope this helps.

 

[philip_stevens]

No doubt this will identify me as a muppet, but here goes ... In the same way that we have 'The sun rises in the east and sets in the west', is there anything similar for the moon? Out in the garden tonight, a clear starlit evening, I looked all over the place for the moon, but didnt have a starting point re direction. Signed. Kermit the (french odd texture of chicken taste of fish pleasure level of vomit) Frog.

Get this shareware version of GeoClock that will show you where the sun and moon are in real-time.

 

[William_H]

Moon traverse

What is amazing to me is that the moon and the planets (including earth) seems to operate in the same plane. This means that essentially the sun moon and planets seem to traverse the sky in the same line. That is from east to west but at an angle to the vertical which is is further south (for those in Northern hemisphere) in winter less south in summer. All depending on latitude of the observer.
So stars can be all over the sky but moon and planets follow that same line that the sun has followed during the day.
So here is a hint for the op. Look for the moon rise at a time forecast by almanac (or news paper) in the east but to an amount south (or north) of east depending on latitude in the same direction the sun rose that day. Am I right? olewill

 

[VicS]

Am I right? olewill

I think so.

But contemplate the fact that in the southern hemisphere sun-dials go the opposite way to what they do in the north.
If clocks had been invented in the southern hemisphere would the hands go round the other way too? ....

 

[Dockhead]

What is amazing to me is that the moon and the planets (including earth) seems to operate in the same plane. This means that essentially the sun moon and planets seem to traverse the sky in the same line. That is from east to west but at an angle to the vertical which is is further south (for those in Northern hemisphere) in winter less south in summer.

Perhaps not so surprising if you consider that the main source of relative motion between Earth and all these celestial bodies is the Earth's rotation.

 

[AliM]

"What is amazing to me is that the moon and the planets (including earth) seems to operate in the same plane. This means that essentially the sun moon and planets seem to traverse the sky in the same line. That is from east to west but at an angle to the vertical which is is further south (for those in Northern hemisphere) in winter less south in summer. All depending on latitude of the observer."

Not really amazing when you think back to the origin of the solar system. There was a cloud of gas and debris which was attracted by gravity to condense into lumps - first the sun, then the planets. But as the whole lot came together, there was a bit of sideways motion on some of it, so as it condensed, and was attracted inwards, there was a bit of spin of the whole lot arond the centre (the sun). As it all got smaller, under gravity, the spin became more pronounced, and so you end up with all the planets in almost the same plane. The same is true of the moon, as it was captured by the earth's gravity. There are exceptions - some of the moons of the outer planets, and Neptune, but I think these are believed to have been knocked of their orbits by impacts with other bodies - comets or meteorites which were not part of the original solar system, and hence came in from off the plane.

 

[William_H]

I think so.

But contemplate the fact that in the southern hemisphere sun-dials go the opposite way to what they do in the north.
If clocks had been invented in the southern hemisphere would the hands go round the other way too? ....

No not at all unless...
My dog always turned a full circle clockwise before he sat down. I challenged him on this matter and he said that he thought it strange that our clocks always go dogwise. Now AFIK dogs always turn dogwise in northern hemisphere as well as southern hemisphere. Hence clocks have always turned dogwise regardless of the rotation of a sundial which of course was invented long after dogs.
A bit of antipodean logic to amaze you Vic. olewill

 

[Bosun Higgs]

The moon orbits the earth approx every 28 day and does so in the same direction that the earth itself rotates. Thats why the tides are later every day - by the time the earth has done its rotation the moon has moved on a bit so the earth has to rotate 1/28 of an orbit of 24 hours to catch up = 51 mins

As I understand it, our galaxy is a spiral disc galaxy with most everything in the same plane.

 

[bbg]

Every celestial body "rises in the east and sets in the west" due to the rotation of the Earth.

OK, some are always above the northern or southern horizon (e.g Pole Star for those living "right side up"), or are so for part of the year. Clearly, not every celestial body rises in the same place every day, or at the same time of day, but the general trend is always east to west during the course of any night.

I hope I'm right on this.

 

[agurney]

..
A week later the moon will be coming up around midnight. You'll see the left hand half illuminated ....

It will only appear to be the left hand side from Northern latitudes, it's different further south - looking like a Cheshire cat at the equator

Alisdair