Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

I don't know @outlander and now that you've mentioned it, I'm very curious too 🙂

Thank you for getting me out of my chair and into the back yard, where I've seen the perfect most beautiful blue sky (but no moon) and heard one of natures beautiful music pieces, bird songs 🙂 You even got me to realize I was getting a bit warm in my sloppy joe and have changed into a t-shirt, I even put on my bra and shoulder brace! Way to go Outlander . . . and me! 😄

😄 @outlander

Hi @Former-Member@outlander@Former-Member@Change123@Former-Member

Thanks for reminding me Outlander - perhaps I had better get with the act and tag people

Why does the moon appear in the sky during the day?

Okay - it takes the moon about 29 days to go through a phase - and so when it is the new moon - we can't see it at all because it is too near the sun - but early in the evening after the new moon we will see the crescent moon in the west after sunset and each night this gets bigger until it rises around sunset and sets around sunrise - this is the full moon -

When the moon gets toward the first quarter - that's when it appears as a half-moon in the sky - it appears during the afternoon - as the white moon - and then half the night before it sets

After the full moon the it rises earlier each night and the white moon is visible in the west in the mornings - setting later each day - and toward the new moon it rises in the early morning and is a cresent moon again until the new moon - fading in the sunlight until it is too close to the sun to see again

This is the short story - I am endlessly patient with all of this and happy to take the time explaining what I can - what I really need is some pics to show what some people call the Dance of the Moon - and most people don't realise that it takes nearly a month for the moon to go around the Earth - because it crosses the sky each day or night - but that is because the earth rotates more quickly than the moon goes around

I hope this helps - I will have to get showered and maybe eat something

Then look up something on the Internet - that might help

Dec

Hello @Owlunar 🙂 Is the reason that Outlander could see the moon in the sky today, but I couldn't got to do with our locations (north, south, east, west)? Or might it have been the time of day or something?

Hope you enjoyed your shower and had something nice to eat.

Niqua

Good Morning @Owlunar, the Moon is in my sky this morning, I must have just gone out to late to see it 🙂 I didn't see the stars again last night, I went out too early, there weren't any shining - then I didn't get the motorvation to go back out. Is Sirius stil up there? I know if I miss it now, you've said it's much easier to see it in Summer and I won't give up. I would love to see Mars, and know it was Mars, like you did 🙂

Hi @Former-Member@outlander

Yes - the moon is in the sky in the mornings atm - it can be seen during the night and then in the daytime when it is the white moon and it sets in the west - I can find the setting times later

I'll try and find some pics of the moon's phases - I had a bf years ago who astounded me because he had never thought of this - but then - my Gran used to take me outside in the evenings and then in the mornings to see the moon - it was something we shared - and I was very young - a lot of what we know depends on how interested our grandparents are in our education

Mars is setting around the same time as the sun - and it has an ellipital orbit which means that it takes about two years to pass to around the sun. When it is close to the earth - it is bright in our night sky and easy to find - but when it moves away from the earth it is very hard to find - but when it comes back I can tell you where to look

I will find some pics too - It's easy to post pics if the are on the Jpeg but my computer won't allow hyper-text - which is annoying - I have a lot of pics I can't even see myself - but there are plenty of different sites for me to find

Have the best day possible girls - while we have winter the nights are longer and if it is clear we can see a lot - but alas - right now - it's raining here too - all I can see is cloud

Now - time to find some pics

Dec

Hi there fellow astronomers and moon watches - I have had a look and this is the best one I could find - unless people look up Wikipaedia and read what people have written there

This pic though shows a lot - even how many days pass between each notable part of the phase

Take a look and see if you can understand this - any questions - ask away - nothing is too easy - a lot of it is too hard

Note - as I said the phases last 29 days and on this diagram you go anti-clockwise to note the phases

Dec