Full Moon Report
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School
Clemson University *
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Course
1030
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by EarlBraveryPrairieDog8
Full Moon Report
Sarah Sherman
Introduction:
The full moon’s size does not change as we view it at different times of the night.
To the naked eye, the moon appears to be changing because of the distance it moves to and from
the earth throughout the night. Through uncertain measurements and sources of error, it can be
inferred that the moon does not change size but its apparent size does change.
Procedure:
To measure the apparent size at night, a ruler was used at arm’s length to determine
the diameter. The measurements are in the form of centimeters, and the sizes were calculated at
three different times at night. To reduce systematic error and uncertainty in the measurements,
each individual observation recorded three measurements for the diameter and the height above
the horizon. More measurements will reduce the standard error and averaging them will allow us
to calculate more concise answers. Also, planning ahead of time and creating precise objectives
for retrieving the data can reduce the sources of error.
Data and Analysis:
Date/Time
Size of
Diameter
(cm)
Avg size of
diameter (cm)
Height above
horizon (cm)
Avg height
above
horizon (cm)
Obs. 1
10/9/22 8:27
PM
1.2
1 cm +/- .2
cm
17.3 cm
17.2 cm +/- .4
cm
Obs. 2
10/9/22 10:33
PM
.8
.81 cm +/- .07
cm
44 cm
42 cm +/-
2cm
Obs. 3
10/10/22
12:07 AM
.7
.7 cm +/- .2
cm
66 cm
62 cm +/- 3
cm
Based on the measurements taken through the days of October 9th and October 10th, the
measurements seem to hold an uncertainty of +/- 2 cm. On October 9th at 8:27 pm the apparent
diameter of the moon was 1.2 cm. Then, on October 9th at 10:33 pm the apparent diameter was .
8 cm. The last measurement I recorded was on October 10th at 12:07 am and the apparent
diameter was .7 cm. Although it appears that the moon's diameter is changing, my hypothesis is
considered to be supported by the data I gathered. I would argue that the size of the Moon does
not change due to the fact that the uncertainty was so minimal and remained constant over the
course of the full moon, though the measurement approach I applied may have contributed to
different results. It's also critical to note that the height above the horizon varied significantly
between the various observation dates. The moon may appear larger or smaller depending on
how this affects how it appears to the eye.
Conclusion:
Based on the research gathered, the observations made and recorded, and my
knowledge of the moon, it can be concluded that the full moon does appear to change in size but
the full moon size does not alter. This supports the hypothesis as it is determined the full moon
seems to decrease in size because it moves further away from Earth throughout the night. While
the apparent size of the moon changes due to the data collected and to the naked eye, the
measurement of uncertainty which was 2 cm, indicates that the source of error is also 2 cm. This
tells us that the difference in sizes is merely based on the sources of errors. I may not have
utilized the most precise method to collect these measurements, which could have influenced the
conclusions. Since I lack access to more specialized tools, I chose to conduct my observations
using a ruler held at arm's length.
It's also vital to keep in mind that a variety of circumstances,
like my precise position, the Moon's distance from the Earth, and the human eye's natural
perception of objects, might impact how big or small the Moon appeared to be.
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