MadSci Network: Astronomy
Query:

Re: degrees in which the moon rises and sets

Date: Tue Aug 25 20:12:05 1998
Posted By: Jeff Robertson, Faculty, Physical Sciences, Arkansas Tech University
Area of science: Astronomy
ID: 900673560.As
Message:

The short answer is yes.
I believe tha angles you are referring to are Azimuthal angles.
0 degrees North, East 90 degrees South 180 degress etc.
Therefore, you would think things rise in the east and set in the west.
In fact, the sun only does this on two days of the year.  The Equinoxes
March 21 and September 21 it rises due East and Sets due West because
it is at the nodal point between the earth's equator and the ecliptic.
The Moon's orbit is tilted with respect to these two references also,
so will rise and set at Azimuth's different than due East and due West
depending on its position, relative to the earth's equator and the
ecliptic.

For help on some of the terms...
http://www.physics.csulb.edu/100lonline/sidereal/sidereal.html


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