Lunar Cycles

The above sky chart shows what the sky looks like from St. Paul, MN in the spring of the year. It is best used by holding directly overhead and standing so that the south is in front of you, North is behind you while east and west are, respectively to your left and right. This is sort of backwards from a good old Mercator Projection map.

We know that there are two kinds of periods for the Moon. One is the Sidereal Period Sidereal Period which depends on motion relative to the stars while the Synodic PeriodSynodic Period is longer (29.5 days)because it covers a complete lunar cycle.

The chart above shows constellations and planets. You can use this map to plot out the position of the Moon over the next month. Draw the location of the Moon and label it for every day that you can do so over the coming month.

In some ways this is a long term project in that you need to discipline yourself to record the location of the Moon relative to some stars. But it can be done in the next month. Don't wait to start it as the end of the semester is drawing to an end.

1. You should be looking at the position of the Moon relative to known constellations.
2. Secondly, look at the phase of the moon for each location on days you can make these observations.
3. Finally discuss your observations with the reader. Explain the connection between phase and location. How long does it take for the Moon to change from First Quarter to Full?