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Astronomy191InquiryProject
TestablePredictions:
MODEL1:MoonphasesarecausedbytheshadowoftheEarthontheMoon
1.TheMoontakesonemonthstimetofullyrotatearoundtheEarth,thereforewithinthat
monthyouwillseeall4phasesoftheMoon.
~Reasoning:Ibelievethiswillbetruebecausethephasesofthemoonaredeterminedby
thepositioninorbitwiththeEarth.
MODEL2:MoonphasesarecausedbydifferentanglesbetweentheMoon,Earth,andSun
2.TheMoonsphasesaredeterminedbytheanglesbetweentheMoon,EarthandSun,
thereforetheMoonshouldonlybefullforasmallfractionofthelunarmonth.
~Reasoning:Ibelievethistobetruebecausesolarobjectsareconstantlymoving.
Becausetheseobjectsareconstantlyevolving,thismeanstheMoonsilluminationshould
onlybefullwhentheobjectsareinthecorrectangles.
NakedEyeObservations:
Date
Time
Lexington.KY
%ofMoonilluminated ElevationofMoon
11/15/2105
18:20 OutsideWoodlandGlen1
20%
25
11/21/2015
20:25 OutsideofMemorialColiseum
80%
50
12/2/2015
1:00 OutsideWoodlandGlen1
60%
25
12/3/2015
0:45 ByKentuckyHorsePark
50%
10
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
ThesenakedeyeobservationsweremadefromvariouspointsaroundUniversityof
KentuckyscampusinLexington,Kentucky.Theseobservationsoccurredoveraroughly2anda
halfweekperiod.WhatwecantakeawayfromthisdataisthattheMoonsilluminationgrewin
percentage,andthenbecamelessasthetimespanwenton.
WebsiteMoonPhaseData:
Date
Timeofmoonrise PhaseofMoon
%ofMoonilluminated Timeofsunrise
11/13/2015
8:49 WaxingCrescent
4%
7:16
11/15/2015
10:35 WaxingCrescent
15%
7:19
11/17/2015
12:08 WaxingCrescent
33%
7:21
11/19/2015
13:29 FirstQuarter
50%
7:23
11/21/2015
14:45 WaxingGibbous
77%
7:25
11/23/2015
16:04 WaxingGibbous
93%
7:27
11/25/2015
17:36 FullMoon
100%
7:29
11/27/2015
19:24 WaningGibbous
96%
7:31
11/29/2015
21:21 WaningGibbous
83%
7:33
12/1/2015
23:17 WaningGibbous
65%
7:35
12/3/2015
0:13 LastQuarter
50%
7:37
12/5/2015
2:03 WaningCrescent
28%
7:39
12/7/2015
3:53 WaningCrescent
13%
7:41
12/9/2015
5:45 WaningCrescent
3%
7:42
12/11/2015
7:37 NewMoon
0%
7:44
12/13/2015
9:21 WaxingCrescent
6%
7:45
12/15/2015
10:51 WaxingCrescent
20%
7:47
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
12/17/2015
12:09 WaxingCrescent
40%
7:48
12/18/2015
12:46 FirstQuarter
50%
7:49
ThisdatewastakenfromtheU.S.NavalObservatoryWebsite.Thereareafewthings
thatwecantakeawayfromthisdata.Firstofall,thedatagave4mainsectionsofillumination
firstquarter,fullmoon,lastquarter,andnewmoon.All4ofthesephaseswereseenwithinthis
month.Alsoprospectively,withinthismonththereare6daysbetweenfirstquarterandfull
moon,8daysbetweenthefullmoonandthelastquarter,8daysbetweenthelastquarterandthe
newmoon,andfinally7daysbetweenthenewmoonandthefirstquarter*.Thesephasesare
verysimilartooneanotherthattheyareclosetothesamedistanceintimeapart.
*ForthepurposeofshowingthedatabetweenthemoonphasesItookdatathroughthefollowing
firstquarter,whichwasalittleoveramonth.
ConnectionsAmongData:
Inthegraphshowntotherightweseethepercentofilluminationbasedonamonths
period.Inthismonththereare4
criticalpointswhichalsorelate
tothemajorpartsofthephases.
Thelinecrossesthe50%
illuminationmark3timeson
thisgraph.Whenthegraph
continuesinthepositive
directionfrom50%thismeans
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
thatitisheadingtowardsthefullmoonstageoftheillumination(100%illumination).Whenthe
graphcrossesthe50%markandcontinuesinthenegativedirectionthismeansitisheading
towardsthenewmoonstageofthephases(0%illumination).Withthisbeingsaid,overaone
monthperiod(from11/13/2105to12/18/2015)themoongoesthroughthefullillumination
cycle.
Afterlookingattheperiodbetween11/13/2015and12/18/2105,Idecidedtolook
throughtheilluminationcycleforthetimeperiodof10/13/2015to11/13/2015toseeifIwould
findthesameresults.Inthegraphbelowyoucanthetheillumination**.Inthisweseethatyet
again,weseeall4
phasesofthemoon
withinthismonths
cycle.Inconclusion,
withthisdatashown
fromthesetwo
months,wecan
furtherassumethat
everymonthwewillseeall4phasesontheMoonsillumination.Ibelievethatthisisattributed
tothespatialorientationoftheMoonwithintheorbitofEarth.ThereforeIbelievethatmyfirst
hypothesisiscorrect.
**Attheendofthisassignmentismychartwiththedatafromthegraphabove,pleaseseethis
formoredetailsifneeded.
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
FurtherConnectionsofData:
Throughthedataexplainedabove,wecanseethatthesecondhypothesisistrueaswell.The
statement,TheMoonsphasesaredeterminedbytheanglesbetweentheMoon,EarthandSun,
thereforetheMoonshouldonlybefullforasmallfractionofthelunarmonthmustbetrue
basedonourtwomonthsofdatatakenbecausethereisonly1dayoutoftheentirelunarmonth
thatis100%illumination.Withinmynakedeyeobservations,IneveroncesawwhatIbelieved
tohavebeenafullmoonillumination.Thiswouldbetruebecauseonthe25thofNovember
therewasafullmoon,andIdidnotmakeanobservationonthisday.FromthefactthatInever
sawanakedeyeobservationofafullmoon,andthattherewasonlyonedayinthewebsitedata
wheretheilluminationwas100%wecaninferthattheMoonisonlyfullforasmallportionof
thelunarmonth.Inthechartbelowitshowstheactualpercentageofilluminationvs.the
perceivedilluminationIfoundfrommynakedeyeobservationsonthatgivenday.
Date
NakedEye
Actual
11/15/2015
20%
15%
11/21/2015
80%
77%
12/2/2015
60%
56%
12/3/2015
50%
50%
Withthisbeingshown,mynakedeyeobservationsoftheMoonandtheActual
illuminationoftheMoonareverysimilar.Thisshowsthatdespitewhattimeyoulookatthe
Moontheilluminationisgoingtobethesame.Withallofthisbeingsaid,Idobelievethatthe
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
secondhypothesisiscorrectbasedonthefactthatifitdidnthavetodowiththeanglesofthe
Sun,Moon,andEarthyouwouldhavemorethanjustonedayoffullillumination.
Conclusion:
AlthoughIdobelievethatbothhypothesesaretrue,Ithinkthatthefirstonecanalsobe
explainedbymodel2.ThefirsthypothesiswasTheMoontakesonemonthstimetofullyrotate
aroundtheEarth,thereforewithinthatmonthyouwillseeall4phasesoftheMoon.Thiscan
alsobeexplainedbymodel2becausethisstilldealswiththeangelswiththeAnglesbetweenthe
SunandMoon.Inconclusion,Ibelievethatmodel2isthecorrectmodel.Bothofmyhypotheses
layunderandareprovenbythismodel,butmostofallIthinkthefactthatthemoons
illuminationissuchasmallfractionofthelunarmonthisthemainreasonthatthisiscorrect.Ifit
werentforthesunsangleswiththeEarthandMoon,wewouldhaveafullmoonforalonger
periodoftimebecausetheanglesbetweentheobjectsarewouldntbeeverevolving.
Devynn Miller
AST 191 Section 002
**HereistheChartwithmydataonthetimeperiodof10/13/2015to11/14/2015.
Date
%ofMoonilluminated
10/13/2015
0%
10/15/2015
7%
10/17/2015
19%
10/19/2015
38%
10/20/2015
50%
10/21/2015
59%
10/23/2015
80%
10/25/2015
95%
10/27/2015
100%
10/29/2015
93%
10/31/2015
78%
11/2/2015
58%
11/4/2015
39%
11/6/2015
21%
11/8/2015
8%
11/10/2015
1%
11/11/2015
0%
11/12/2015
1%
11/14/2015
9%