Devynn Miller

AST 191 Section 002

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%