The Cycles of the Moon

•The phases of the moon

•The tides
•Lunar eclipses
•Solar eclipses
 The Phases of the Moon

From Earth, we
see different
portions of the
Moon’s surface
lit by the sun,
causing the
phases of the
Moon.
 The Phases of the Moon
27.32 days
• The Moon orbits Earth
in a sidereal period of Moon Earth
27.32 days.
Fixed direction in space
Is the moon going to show the
same lunar phase after one
sidereal period?

1. Yes.
2. No, it will not have completed a full cycle
of phases.
3. No, it will have completed more than a
full cycle of phases.
The Phases of the Moon
Fixed direction in space 29.53 days

Earth

Moon

Earth orbits around Sun =>

Direction toward Sun changes!

• The moon’s synodic

period (to reach the
same position relative
to the sun) is 29.53
days (~ 1 month).
 The moon orbits counterclockwise
around Earth (viewed from the North).
=> It appears to move eastward against
the background of the stars.
=> The waxing crescent is visible

1. in the morning sky.

2. in the evening sky.
3. the whole night, from sunset to sunrise.
4. only around midnight.
5. never.
The Phases of the Moon
New Moon → First Quarter → Full Moon
Evening Sky
The Phases of the Moon
Full Moon → Third Quarter → New Moon
Morning Sky
The Tides
The tides are caused
by the difference of
the Moon’s
gravitational attraction
on the water on Earth
• Between the near
side and the center of
the Earth
• Between the center
and the far side of the
Earth
→ 2 tidal maxima
→ 12-hour cycle
 On the day of full moon, high
tides occur …

1. around noon and 6 p.m.

2. around noon and midnight.
3. around 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
4. around 6 p.m. and midnight.
5. Impossible to tell. The times of tides are not
correlated with the phases of the moon.
Spring and Neap Tides
The Sun is also
producing tidal effects,
about half as strong
Spring tides
as the Moon.
• Near Full and New
Moon, those two
effects add up to cause
spring tides
• Near first and third
quarter, the two effects
work at a right angle
w.r.t. each other,
Neap tides
causing neap tides.
The Tidally Locked Orbit of the Moon
The Earth also exerts
tidal forces on the
Moon’s rocky interior.

→ It is rotating with the

same period around
its axis as it is orbiting
Earth (tidally locked).

→ We always see the

same side of the
moon facing Earth.
The Near Side of the Moon
 A total lunar eclipse …

1. is a high-performance moon vehicle built by

Mitsubishi.
2. occurs when the moon disappears behind the
sun.
3. occurs when the moon becomes invisible
because it is too close to the sun.
4. occurs when the moon moves through
Earth’s shadow.
5. occurs when the moon disappears behind
Mars.
Lunar Eclipses The Earth’s shadow
consists of a zone of
full shadow, the
Umbra, and a zone
of partial shadow,
the Penumbra.
If the Moon passes
through the Umbra,
we see a lunar
eclipse.
If the entire surface
of the Moon enters
the Umbra, the lunar
eclipse is total.
A Total Lunar Eclipse (I)
A Total Lunar Eclipse (II)
A total lunar eclipse
can last up to 1 hour
and 40 min.
During a total
eclipse, the moon
has a faint, red
glow, reflecting sun
light scattered in
the Earth’s
atmosphere.
Typically,
1 or 2
lunar
eclipses
per year.
 Solar Eclipses

The Sun has approx. the same angular diameter of ~ 0.50

as the Moon.

Thus, when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, it can

cover it completely, causing a total solar eclipse.
Total Solar Eclipse

Chromosphere and Corona

Prominences
Diamond Ring Effect
 If the sun and the moon have the same
angular diameter on the sky, does that
mean that the sun and the moon actually
have about the same size?

1. Yes.
2. No because the sun is much farther away, but also
much larger than the moon.
3. No, because the sun is much farther away, but also
much smaller than the moon.
4. No because the moon is much farther away, but also
much larger than the sun.
5. No, because the moon is much farther away, but also
much smaller than the sun.
Earth’s and Moon’s orbits are
slightly elliptical:
Apogee = position
furthest away from
Earth
Perihelion = position Earth
closest to the sun
Moon
Perigee = position
closest to Earth
Sun
Aphelion
(Eccentricities greatly exaggerated!)
= position
furthest
away from
the sun
What do you expect to see if at the time of a
solar eclipse the moon is near apogee, and
the Earth is near perihelion?

1. A regular total solar eclipse.

2. No solar eclipse at all.
3. A partial solar eclipse with a crescent appearance.
4. A partial solar eclipse with a ring-like appearance of
un-occulted parts of the sun.
5. A lunar eclipse.
 Annular Solar Eclipses
The angular
sizes of the
Moon and the
Sun vary,
depending on
their distance
Perigee Apogee Aphelion from Earth.
Perihelion

When the Earth is near

perihelion, and the Moon is
near apogee, we see an
annular solar eclipse.
Almost total, annular eclipse of May 30, 1984
 If the moon was orbiting around the
Earth exactly in the plane of the
ecliptic, …

1. lunar and solar eclipses would occur once every day.

2. lunar and solar eclipses would occur once a week.
3. lunar and solar eclipses would occur once a month.
4. lunar and solar eclipses would occur once a year.
5. lunar and solar eclipses would never occur.
 Conditions for Eclipses (I)

The Moon’s orbit is inclined against the ecliptic by ~ 50.

A solar eclipse can only occur if the Moon passes a node near New Moon.
A lunar eclipse can only occur if the Moon passes a node near Full Moon.
Conditions for Eclipses (II)

Eclipses occur in a cyclic pattern.

→ Saros cycle: 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours

Approximately 1 total solar eclipse per year