Jasmine: Hi, I'm Jasmine.
Chrissy: I'm Chrissy.
Jasmine: We're from NIU STEAM and...
Chrissy: You're listening to The Sound of Science on WNIJ.
Jasmine: Chris from Elmhurst wants to know if we look at the Moon right now, what would the people in Australia see at the same time?
Chrissy: This is an interesting question, as many of us don't think about how things are observed when seen at different places on the planet. The Earth itself can be described as two hemispheres: The Equator separates the Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres and the Prime Meridian separates the Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres. Time zones are set using distance from the Prime Meridian in a westerly direction. Canberra, the Australian capital, is 17 hours ahead of where we are in Illinois.
Jasmine: Like the Sun, the Moon rises and sets as a function of the Earth's rotation. Today, January 10th, the Moon will rise in Northern Illinois in about 15 minutes at 1:19 PM and set tomorrow at 5:39 AM. Canberra, in the Southwest corner of Australia, experienced moon set at 9:43 AM this morning, our time. This might sound confusing but what this means is that the Moon dipped below the horizon in Canberra, Australia, about 4 hours ago, so they aren't seeing the Moon at all right now. When the Moon rises again in Canberra, it will be 11 PM our time so both areas will be able to observe the Moon, but it will be located at different points in the sky.
Chrissy: Because the phase of the Moon is determined by the Moon's position in its orbit around the Earth relative to the sun, the phase in which the Moon will be visible is consistent for all observers on the Earth at any given time. Even though the position of the Moon in the sky will change based on where you are on Earth, the phase of the Moon will stay the same. Both Australia and Northern Illinois will observe a waxing gibbous, which means the face of the Moon is more than half illuminated...57% to be exact.
Jasmine: You have been listening to The Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you learn something new every day.
