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Relative to the earth and the sun where must the moon be to appear to be a crescent?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
When the angle between the sun and moon as seen from earth is
less than 90 degrees, the moon will appear as a crescent.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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Does the new moon appear small or large?
The "new moon" is technically not visible at all. The Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun and none of the illuminated part is visible from Earth. Sometime on the day of the new moon, the Moon will appear as a very thin crescent (last crescent or first crescent).
Why does the crescent moon show on the bottom instead of the side?
because of the position of your latitude on the earth, combined with earth's axial tilt. The points on a crescent moon define a line perpendicular to the incidence of sunlight. Viewed from the earth's equator at equinox, the Crescent always appears to be on the bottom, or the top, because at equinox the sunlight is perpendicular to your position on the equator. However, on the same day, viewed from the north or south pole, the crescent moon would appear perfectly on its side, because the earth's axis is roughly aligned with the moon's. As your position changes across latitudes, the angle of your horizon to the incident sunlight changes. The earth's axis is tilted 23 degrees from being perfectly perpendicular to the sun's rays. And the moon's orbit around the earth is tilted relative to the earth's equator. This creates a complex cycle of alignment between sunlight and your position on the earth. Thus, the crescent of the moon will appear to tilt depending upon where you are, what time of year it is and the moon's inclination to the earth.
Where must the moon be relative to the earth and sun to appear to be full?
The order of the 3 bodies should be Sun -> Earth -> Moon.
When does the new moon appear?
it appears after the crescent moon.
What phase would the earth be in if the moon was in crescent phase?
The crescent Moon implies a gibbous Earth, as seen from the Moon.
Why does so little of the moon appear to be lit in a crescent?
because we only see half of the moon and the earth is rotating on its axis and we only see a crescent shape of it( I'm sorry if my answer is not right I'm not good at this)
Where must the moon be to appear crescent?
The moon must be on the left or the right of the moon, where the sun only shines on a part of the moon. Showing only a crescent of the moon.
Where is moon when half lit?
The moon's phases result from the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. It doesn't matter where the moon is when it's half-lit (or in its first quarter); its position relative to Earth and the Sun does matter, however. When the Sun and Moon are aligned on the same side of the Earth the Moon is "new", and the side of the Moon visible from Earth is not illuminated by the Sun. As the Moon waxes (the amount of illuminated surface as seen from Earth is increasing), the lunar phases progress from new moon, crescent moon, first-quarter moon, gibbous moon and full moon phases, before returning through the gibbous moon, third-quarter (or last quarter) moon, crescent moon and new moon phases.
How are a full moon and a crescent moon different?
The only difference between a full moon and a crescent moon is simple: the amount of light reflected off the moon, from the sun, towards the earth, where we can observe it. As the moon orbits the earth, at times, part of the moon will be obscured by the earth, allowing a shadow to be casted onto the moon by the earth. When the relative positions of the sun, earth and moon are not in line with each other, there will be no shadow cast on the moon, thus a full moon is seen. When they are slightly in line, with the earth in the middle, then part of the moon will be in the earth's shadow. Whether or not this part-moon is a crescent depends on the amount of reflected light we are able to see. You might want to take a look at the phases of the moon, the orbit of the earth around the sun and the orbit of the moon around the earth to have a better understanding of how moon phases are formed. Other moon phases include the new moon (nothing can be seen) and the gibbous moon (opposite of the crescent, where most of the moon can be seen, instead of only a bit.
How many times in the moon cycle of phases does a crescent moon occur?
For each orbit of the Earth by the Moon there are 2 crescents; the waxing crescent and the waning crescent.
What is the moon's shapes that you see from earth?
A crescent.
What causes the moon to wax and wane when it is going from a crescent to full moon and back to a crescent?
It's the earth shadow
