We will often give the moon a glance on dark nights when it catches our attention, but rarely (if ever) do we notice the changes that the moon exhibits on an hourly or monthly basis. This is an opportunity for you to get out, look up at the sky, and observe the subtle changes that happen night after night. You will create a moon journal to record observations of the relative position of the Moon, how the moon changes appearance over several hours and several days, and then interpret the observations based on calculations and predictions.

1. Conduct research on the motion of the moon  (opens in new window).
2. Based on your research predict what your moon observation will look like when conducted over a single evening. Include features such as
• The rise and set time
• Moon phase
• How many degrees the moon will move during the observation time
3. Next, predict what your moon observation will look like over the course of several days. Assume you are viewing the moon at the same time each night, for several nights.
• How will the rise and set time change from day-to-day?
• How will the position of the moon change?
4. Submit both of these predictions as written responses.