Posted on 01/22/2024 11:35:14 AM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: Can the Moon and a mountain really cast similar shadows? Yes, but the division between light and dark does not have to be aligned. Pictured, a quarter moon was captured above the mountain Grivola in Italy in early October of 2022. The Sun is to the right of the featured picturesque landscape, illuminating the right side of the Moon in a similar way that it illuminates the right side of the mountain. This lunar phase is called "quarter" because the lit fraction visible from Earth is one quarter of the entire lunar surface. Digital post-processing of this single exposure gave both gigantic objects more prominence. Capturing the terminator of this quarter moon in close alignment with nearly vertical mountain ridge required careful timing because the Earth rotates once a day.
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Last night the moon was so bright that when we were heading to bed, we noticed shadows of the trees in the white snow. It was fabulous to look at. We’ve seen them before, but last night they seemed particularly striking.
If that is a “quarter moon”,
then what is a “half moon”?
Not buyin it.
Wow.
It’s always a half moon in that half of the moon is always illuminated; same is true of earth or any spherical body orbiting a star.
I believe that the quarter nomenclature arose to reflect 4 major phases/dividing points of monthly moon illumination as viewed from earth; i.e. first quarter (right half illuminated), full moon (all lit), third quarter (left half illuminated) and new moon (all dark).
So, not the degree of illumination but the state of the phase of illumination in the monthly cycle.
“There is no dark side in the moon, really. Matter of fact, it’s all dark.”
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