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Earth and Space 6-8 / Week 02 / Thursday
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Week 02 · Moon Phases

Thursday

Reading the moonrise table
// The lit half seen from changing angles
⏱ about 20 min

Thursday: Reading the Moonrise Table

Raven pins a printed page to the Sky Deck wall. "NASA's Moon page lists when each phase rises and sets."

Rocket reads the first row. "Full Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. That is why it is up all night."

"What do you notice about the new Moon row?" Raven asks.

"It rises and sets with the Sun," Rocket says. "So it is up all day, but we cannot see it. The dark side faces us."

Nova hovers over the page. "And the daytime half Moon you saw on Monday?"

Rocket scans. "First quarter rises around midday. So it was up in the afternoon." He grins. "Mystery solved."

Nova hums. "One row at a time."

The table from NASA

NASA's Moon phases page gives rough patterns for when each phase rises and sets. They work at most latitudes.

Here they are, shortened. Read every row before you answer the questions.

The Moon is opposite the Sun when full, so it does the opposite of the Sun. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.

PhaseRisesSets
New Moonwith the Sunwith the Sun; not visible
Waxing crescentmorning, after sunrisenight, after sunset
First quarteraround middayaround the middle of the night
Waxing gibbousafternoon, before sunsetearly morning, before sunrise
Full Moonaround sunsetaround sunrise
Waning gibbousnight, after sunsetmorning, after sunrise
Third quarteraround the middle of the nightaround midday
Waning crescentvery early morning, before sunriseafternoon, before sunset

Notice the pattern down the table: each phase rises later than the one before it. That matches the 50-minute daily delay.

NASA also says the Moon is often visible during the day as a faint, pale presence. Monday's half Moon was no accident.

A first quarter Moon is high in the sky in the evening, which makes it easy to find for your Moon log.

USE THE TABLE
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which phase rises around sunset and stays up all night?
You see a half Moon in the afternoon sky. Which phase is it most likely?
Which phase is up during the day but never visible?
The full Moon sets around ____.
The third quarter Moon rises around the middle of the ____.
StatementTrue or false?
A waning crescent rises before sunrise.?
A new Moon is bright and visible at midnight.?
The Moon can sometimes be seen in daylight.?
Every phase rises at the same time of day.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEach phase has its own rising time because the Moon moves eastward around us.
RISING LATER AND LATER
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1First to rise
2Second
3Third
4Last
Try it
Look at your Monday and Wednesday Moon log notes. Use the table to name the phase and predict when it rose.
Pick the best time this week for a bedtime Moon look. Write it in the Sky Log and tell a grown-up.
Try this
Cover the Rises column and test yourself on four rows. Record how many you got right.
Explain to someone why a full Moon is never seen at noon.
Draw a clock face. Around it, mark where sunrise, midday, sunset and midnight fall. Place four phases at their rising times.

Careful reading. Tomorrow you find the Moon's patterns in everyday life and review the week.

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