The Orbit of the Moon

This exercise has been revised for use online.  Please refer to the online version for
important information.  In the face-to-face lab, we take you into the planetarium and
you find the positions of the moon for a month.  Online I have a table that lists the
positions of the moon (RA and DEC) for November 1999.  Use these positions which are
to be plotted onto the SFA STAR CHART.  If you're very good with a spreadsheet, you can plot them
there and make it look like the SFA STAR CHART.

Any reference to time in the questions is for the 1999 data you plotted.

Of course, you need to submit the SFA STAR CHART as part of the lab.  I have found that it will
Xerox very nicely on two 8 1/2 X 11 pages.  You can then FAX the result.  If you are
faxing, please make your plotted points distinct.  Faxing is not friendly to lightly
draw marks.  Of course, you can hand it in or submit your spreadsheet graph, if you can
manage it that way.

Question one and two are well covered in the text.

3.  Eclipses can only occur when the paths Sun and the Moon cross.  Lightly sketch
in the path of the Moon after plotting the points.

5. Find the Sun for about the middle of November.  The full Moon is in opposition
(remember the quiz?).  What does opposition mean?

6. Knowing the answers to 4 and 5 will allow you to get the phase of the Moon for
any position in its orbit for this month.  Use the last lab as a guide to naming
the phases.