Hobbies And Interests
Face of the Moon
The side of the moon we see in the sky is known as the near side. When you look at the moon you will see darker areas and lighter areas. The darker areas are called "maria," or singular "mare." In translation this means "sea" or low points. The lunar highlands are the higher altitudes of the moon's surface and appear brighter to our eyes. The side of the moon that we cannot see in the sky is known as the far side, sometimes called the "dark side."
Movement in the Sky
The moon goes around the earth in a counterclockwise orbit which lasts roughly 29 days. The earth makes a full rotation on its axis once each day, and circles the sun completely in a year. When the moon appears to come up at night on the Eastern horizon, this represents the rotation of the planet. The moon comes out in the sky as you stand stationary on the planet and the planet rotates. The moon continues to appear to move across the sky as the earth continues its rotation until the moon is again out of sight.
Moon Phases
There are four phases or quarters to the moon: new, crescent, full and gibbous. The new moon is the time when no moon is seen in the sky. In this quarter the moon is between the planet and the sun and not visible. The second quarter, the full-moon phase, is when the moon is opposite the planet from the sun and reflects fully the sun's light. In between these two extremes are the quarter and three-quarter phases. In the second phase the moon appears in a crescent shape. In the third quarter, three quarters of the moon is visible in the sky.
Moon Visibilty
A few days after the new phase, the moon will rise before dark and be visible in the day sky as well as the night sky. This early moon rise during daylight hours will continue until a few days before the full moon. The setting of the moon comes after sunrise during the third-quarter phase; you will see the moon on the Western horizon while the sun rises in the East. This will continue until a few days before the new moon phase begins again.