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When viewed from a point above the North Pole of the Earth, all the motions of the Earth and the Moon appear anticlockwise. a) Sketch a diagram of the Moon and Earth, relative to the Sun's position (not to scale), with arrows to show the directions of the orbital and rotational motions of the Moon and Earth. b) As the Moon orbits the Earth, the same face of the Moon always points towards the Earth. Because of this, the Moon is said to be "tidally locked" to the Earth. The far side of the Moon is often called the dark side of the Moon. Explain why the phrase "dark side of the Moon" is misleading. You may use a diagram. c) A solar day is 24 hours, from noon when the Sun is overhead in the sky, until the Sun is again overhead at noon the following day. However, if any other star in the sky is used (working from midnight to midnight when the star could be seen overhead), the measured time from the star being overhead from one day to the next day is a few minutes shorter. This is called a sidereal day. Explain why the sidereal day is shorter (you may use a diagram), and calculate by how many minutes the length of a sidereal day is less than 24 hours. Hint: the Earth takes 365.25 days to orbit the Sun.

When viewed from a point above the North Pole of the Earth, all the motions of the Earth and the Moon appear anticlockwise. a) Sketch a diagram of the Moon and Earth, relative to the Sun's position (not to scale), with arrows to show the directions of the orbital and rotational motions of the Moon and Earth. b) As the Moon orbits the Earth, the same face of the Moon always points towards the Earth. Because of this, the Moon is said to be "tidally locked" to the Earth. The far side of the Moon is often called the dark side of the Moon. Explain why the phrase "dark side of the Moon" is misleading. You may use a diagram. c) A solar day is 24 hours, from noon when the Sun is overhead in the sky, until the Sun is again overhead at noon the following day. However, if any other star in the sky is used (working from midnight to midnight when the star could be seen overhead), the measured time from the star being overhead from one day to the next day is a few minutes shorter. This is called a sidereal day. Explain why the sidereal day is shorter (you may use a diagram), and calculate by how many minutes the length of a sidereal day is less than 24 hours. Hint: the Earth takes 365.25 days to orbit the Sun.

Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (9th Edition)
Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN:9780134746241
Author:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Publisher:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Chapter1: The Study Of Minerals
Section: Chapter Questions
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When viewed from a point above the North Pole of the Earth, all the motions of the Earth and the Moon appear anticlockwise. a) Sketch a diagram of the Moon and Earth, relative to the Sun's position (not to scale), with arrows to show the directions of the orbital and rotational motions of the Moon and Earth. b) As the Moon orbits the Earth, the same face of the Moon always points towards the Earth. Because of this, the Moon is said to be "tidally locked" to the Earth. The far side of the Moon is often called the dark side of the Moon. Explain why the phrase "dark side of the Moon" is misleading. You may use a diagram. c) A solar day is 24 hours, from noon when the Sun is overhead in the sky, until the Sun is again overhead at noon the following day. However, if any other star in the sky is used (working from midnight to midnight when the star could be seen overhead), the measured time from the star being overhead from one day to the next day is a few minutes shorter. This is called a sidereal day. Explain why the sidereal day is shorter (you may use a diagram), and calculate by how many minutes the length of a sidereal day is less than 24 hours. Hint: the Earth takes 365.25 days to orbit the Sun. d) The Moon orbits the Earth once every lunar month. A new moon, which cannot be seen, occurs when the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun. A few days after the new moon, a faint crescent Moon can be seen in the sky in the West. Explain, with the aid of a diagram, why this new crescent moon always appears to the west of an observer on Earth.
Transcribed Image Text:When viewed from a point above the North Pole of the Earth, all the motions of the Earth and the Moon appear anticlockwise. a) Sketch a diagram of the Moon and Earth, relative to the Sun's position (not to scale), with arrows to show the directions of the orbital and rotational motions of the Moon and Earth. b) As the Moon orbits the Earth, the same face of the Moon always points towards the Earth. Because of this, the Moon is said to be "tidally locked" to the Earth. The far side of the Moon is often called the dark side of the Moon. Explain why the phrase "dark side of the Moon" is misleading. You may use a diagram. c) A solar day is 24 hours, from noon when the Sun is overhead in the sky, until the Sun is again overhead at noon the following day. However, if any other star in the sky is used (working from midnight to midnight when the star could be seen overhead), the measured time from the star being overhead from one day to the next day is a few minutes shorter. This is called a sidereal day. Explain why the sidereal day is shorter (you may use a diagram), and calculate by how many minutes the length of a sidereal day is less than 24 hours. Hint: the Earth takes 365.25 days to orbit the Sun. d) The Moon orbits the Earth once every lunar month. A new moon, which cannot be seen, occurs when the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun. A few days after the new moon, a faint crescent Moon can be seen in the sky in the West. Explain, with the aid of a diagram, why this new crescent moon always appears to the west of an observer on Earth.
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