The Phases of the Moon in Song

Phases of the moon

Carol-Irene Southworth, a student in Professor B’s Solar System class at the University of California at San Diego, wrote and recorded the following song describing the phases of the Moon.  If you want to play along, the chords are just C and F, in this case played on the ukulele (according to Woody Guthrie, “if you play more than two chords, you’re showing off”).

Listen here [4:18m]:

Download here [5.2 Mb]: http://pono.ucsd.edu/~adam/astrofacts/southworth_moonphasesong.mp3

Lyrics are below!

What’s the facts:

Over the course of roughly a month, the part of the Moon that is illuminated goes through a regular cycle of phases.  Starting from dark new moon phase, the Moon gradually brightens, or waxes, through waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous and finally to a bright full moon phase 14 days later.  The Moon then dims, or wanes, over the next 14 days, going through waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent and finally dark new moon again.  This cycle is due to the relative orientation of the Sun, Moon and Earth, and the dark portions of the Moon are always caused by its own shadow shielding the Sun’s rays.  New moon phase happens when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are in a line, so that the far side of the Moon we can’t see is lit up.  Full moon phase happens when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are in a line, so we see the sunlit side of the Moon.  The other phases occur in between these two alignments, which are also called syzygy.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: Women and the Moon

Our earliest calendar - linking the lunar cycle with the menstruation cycle

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the connection between women and the Moon.

Listen here [2:41m]:

Download here [2.5 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090804_mfns-womenandmoon.mp3

What’s the facts:

The earliest astronomers may have been women, who discovered that the cycle of the Moon was synchronized with their menstrual cycle.  Having an external cue for this internal cycle would have allowed women to time the birth of their children and perhaps help regulate the population of their tribe or clan in an environment with limited resources.

Our earliest evidence of the connection between the Moon cycle and menstruation cycle – indeed, our earliest evidence of the practice of astronomy – is found on a reindeer bone over 20,000 years old, called the Ishango Bone.  This bone is also believed to be early evidence of the beginning of mathematical thought.  The Ishango bone is one of our first calendars (other ancient calendars also traced the cycles of the Moon).

Original air date 4 August 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The Full Moon

Lunar eclipses can occur during the full moon period

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes our full moon, and how the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon – syzygy – can affect the planet.

Listen here [3:08m]:

Download here [2.9 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090801_mfns-fullmoon.mp3

What’s the facts:

Halfway through our lunar cycle, the Moon and the Sun are now on opposite sides of the Earth, so we see a fully sun-lit full Moon.  At this time, the Moon rises as the Sun sets, and the Sun rises as the Moon sets.  This alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon is called syzygy (pronounced “SI-zi-gee“) and occurs during both new and full moon.  This alignment magnifies the ocean tides on Earth (both the Sun and the Moon cause tides through gravitational force), and the full moon is a time when lunar eclipses can occur, about once or twice a year.   Imagine standing on the Moon at this moment; you would see a “new Earth”, or the dark side of the Earth, up in the sky.  Similarly, you would see a “full Earth” during the period of new moon.   In many ways, full moon is a period of opposition.  It is also a period of celebration, with many holidays occurring during full moon in tradiational cultures, such as the Chinese Lantern Festival, the Hebrew Passover, and the Muslim Shab-e-Bara’at.  The bright night also inspires full moon parties.   Have fun celebrating our closest celestial neighbor!

This Astrofact is dedicated to Mahina, our four-legged full moon.

Original air date 1 August 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The New Moon

A glimpse of the moon through the trees, as it phases from new moon to cresent.

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the new moon, the start of the lunar cycle.

Listen here [3:26m]:

Download here [8.1 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090722_mfns-moonnew.mp3

What’s the facts:

“A month is a Moonth, a Moonth is a moon.”  For many traditional calendars – Hawaiian, Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic – this is still true, although our western calendar has been tweaked to fit the months into one year.  The new moon is the start of the lunar month, and the time when the moon lies between the Sun and the Earth (this is called syzygy, a great Scrabble word).  Imagine yourself floating out in space well above the Sun, Moon and Earth, and you will see these three bodies in a row, with the Sun-lit side of the Moon facing away from the Earth.  So where is the new Moon in the sky?  Directly in front the Sun!

Why doesn’t the Moon block, or eclipse, the Sun every time the new moon phase happens?  It’s because the plane of the Moon’s orbit is actually inclined by about 5° relative to the plane of the Earth’s orbit (the ecliptic plane).  So most of the time, the Sun, Moon and Earth are out of alignment during new moon.  However, the Moon’s orbit actually rotates, or precesses, every 27.2 days.  So perfect alignment at new moon occurs about once every 18 years, a period the Babylonians called a Saros cycle (a complete explanation can be found here).  In fact, there are several Saros eclipse cycles because the Sun-Moon-Earth alignment doesn’t have to be perfect, so we get about two eclipses at new moon every year.

New moon is a great time for star-gazing as the Sun and the Moon will have both set in the evening.  So be sure to enjoy the dark skies that accompany the new Moon!

Original air date 22 July 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The Waxing Crescent Moon

The waxing crescent - the start of the lunar cycle

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the waxing crescent moon –  the first phase in the lunar cycle – and Earthshine.

Listen here [3:00m]:

Download here [7.3 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090722_mfns-mooncrescent.mp3

What’s the facts:

The waxing crescent is the first phase in the new Moon to new Moon lunar cycle.  You can catch it by looking toward the western sky early in the evening; there you will see a bowl-shaped sliver pointing toward the setting Sun, following it down to the horizon.  The opposite side is darker but not completely dark – it is faintly lit up by sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface, called Earthshine.  The origin of Earthshine was first figured out by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1500s; scientists now use Earthshine to track global cloud coverage and variations in the Earth’s climate. The waxing and waning crescent phases are the best time to observe Earthshine, so enjoy our spotlight on the Moon!

Original air date 22 July 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The Waning Crescent

The waning crescent appears on the left in the Northern hemisphere, and the on right in the Southern hemisphere

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the “old” waning crescent Moon.

Listen here [3:30m]:

Download here [3.2 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090813_mfns-wanningcrescent.mp3

What’s the facts:

The waning crescent, or “old moon”, can be seen shortly before dawn, a thin sliver that rises ahead of the Sun.  You have a short period to catch it; after the Sun rises, the thin crescent is hard to see in the bright glare of day.  The waning crescent occurs toward the end of the new Moon to new Moon cycle, a siderial period of  27 1/2 days if you measure the Moon’s position relative to the stars, or a synodic period of 29 1/2 days if you measure relative to Sun.  The difference is due to the Earth’s motion around the Sun.  During a “moonth” the Earth has traveled about 1/13th of its yearly orbit (at a rate of 1.3 million miles per day).  So from our point of view, the Sun has moved to a different part of the sky relative to the stars – by about 28 degrees – over the lunar cycle.  Every month brings a new perspective!

Original air date 13 August 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The Gibbous Moon

The moon entering its gibbous or hua phase

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the waxing gibbous Moon.

Listen here [3:30m]:

Download here [2.6 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090801_mfns-gibbousmoon.mp3

What’s the facts:

Progressing from the first quarter, the Moon enters its waxing gibbous phase, on the way to full bright moon.  The Moon is showing more of its sunny side to us on Earth, and is taking on an egg-like shape.  That’s why Hawaiians call the gibbous phase (gibbous is derived from the latin word “gibbus”, or “hump”) the “hua” or “egg” phase.

Original air date 1 August 2009.

Intergalactic Weather Channel: Dive into Europa!

Icy harbor for life?

Intergalactic Weather Channel’s cub reporter Timmy Cratchit reports from both the cold icy surface of Europa and its (relatively) warm subterranean sea.  Look out for that crevasse Timmy!

Listen here [3:00m]:

Download here [2.8 Mb]: ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/ajb/radiopio/astrofacts_090804_iwc-europa.mp3

What’s the facts:

Europa is Jupiter’s 4th largest moon and the smallest of the Galilean satellites (discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610), all of which are visible with the aid of a small telescope or binoculars.  One of the smoothest and shiniest objects in the Solar System (it reflects 64% of the light striking it), Europa has a surface that is made up mostly of water ice and is essentially free of craters, indicating that it is continually refreshed.    It even has a thin atmosphere of oxygen, formed from sputtering of ice from its surface.  But the most intriguing part of Europa may be underground, where a deep ocean is believed to exist, heated internally by gravitational tidal forces from Jupiter (the Moon induces similar forces on Earth that give rise to ocean tides).  Water breaking through Europa’s surface may explain its overall smoothness and some low-lying features, including “chaos” regions such as Conamara Chaos.   Liquid water may be one of the ingredients necessary for life, mitigating the chemical reactions that spawned life on Earth – the only planet with surface water known.  Hence, the presence of water in Europa implies life may exist there, perhaps in the form of extremophiles that don’t need sunlight to derive energy.  Hopefully Timmy has found a nice extremophile to play with!

Original air date 4 August 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: The First Quarter Moon

The First Quarter Moon

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes the First Quarter Moon and brings you out into space, so you can see how lunar phases work. So take sometime out of your busy day, take a deep breath, and let Harriet bring you on a journey through the night sky.

Listen here [4:24m]:

What’s the facts:

It is called the First Quarter Moon, because that is what the moon looks like to us here on Earth (1/4 of a big round ball). To us, it seems as though the stars, the planets, and the moon, change throughout time, but really, we are turning, taking a different view of the night sky as we do. Our lunar phases are relative to the Sun (our source of light), and changes as the moon follows its orbit around the Earth, and the Earth spins and follows its orbit around the Sun. It’s pretty complicated once you think about it!

Original air date 22 July 2009.

Making Friends with the Night Sky: the Partial Solar Eclipse of 21 July 2009

A partial eclipse of the Sun by the Moon will happen in the early evening of July 21st, 2009

Maui astronomer Harriet Witt describes how the upcoming solar eclipse – for which Hawaii has a partial view from 5:00 PM to 6:15 PM on July 21st – can be safely viewed using leaves in a tree as pinhole cameras.  A full eclipse will be seen in India, China, Southern Japan, and the Marshall and Gilbert Islands.  Never look directly at the Sun during an eclipse!

Listen here [4:26m]:

Original air date 14 July 2009.