Why is the moon upside down today?

[tangcoral]

From my vantage point the moon is currently just above Doi Suthep temple.

My daughter is asking why is the moon upside down today. Bowl shape

And I don't recall the moon being so close to doi suthep...does it change direction depending on the time of the year.

Sorry i failed highschool science.

I'm curious why this is so?

Edited February 3, 2014 by tangcoral

[masuk]

Do you normally live in the southern hemisphere? On my first visit north of the equator, I was also surprised to find the moon the other way around.

It's all these people in the north walking on their heads, not like us 'down under'.

[onthedarkside]

Yes, I'm looking out my window right now and the moon looks like a smiley Must admit I have never really noticed before the illuminated part of the moon on the lower edge. Strange ....

[Chicog]

It's spring, position of the sun, etc.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It's because even the moon prefers lying on it's back in Thailand.

[Dante99]

Don't look around too much, there is a lot of strange stuff out there.

[Beetlejuice]

Due to even more Government clamp downs in Chiang Mai, the police are switching off the moon at 12.00 every night.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Beetlejuice

[Patron]

I will never forget the night of a awesome full moon in Thailand.

We your sitting outside the family home and I said to my wife what a bright

full moon. The family wanted to know what I said, so she told them.

Her aunt asked me if we have moon in America.To be nice I said same same.

The next day I went to the family home and It was a perfect blue sky. So I said to

the aunt jokingly that America have sun same same too. She gave me a big hug

and talked to my wife. My wife said she said Thailand and America so lucky.

[heybruce]

I checked, the moon is right side....Oh My God the earth is inverted!!!

[cloudhopper]

I never understood why the side of the moon facing the sun is always in daylight, no matter what hemisphere I happen to be in on Earth when I look at it.

[jackr]

Op, the moon is always on the move--as is everything in the universe--though is in a slightly different orbital plane to us and is currently below the earth with respect to the sun and earth.

[cloudhopper]

Op, the moon is always on the move--as is everything in the universe--though is in a slightly different orbital plane to us and is currently below the earth with respect to the sun and earth.

By below do you mean South? It must be this way for the 14 days that it is on the Sun side of the Earth's orbit then?

[junglechef]

Your standing on your head!

[Tywais]

Why is the crescent Moon sometimes lit on the bottom?

Answer:

A careful observer will certainly notice that over the period of months, the crescent of the Moon does indeed seem to go from being lit on the "bottom" of the Moon to being lit on the side of the Moon. So what is happening to make the Moon look different? It is all a result of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, and the Earth's orbit around the Sun. And exactly when you see the Moon in the shape of a 'U' (lit on the bottom) rather than a backward 'C' (lit on the side) depends on what latitude you are at. But the explanation is the same regardless of when you see it from your location.

We see the Moon in the night sky because it is reflecting light from the Sun. The Moon does not generate any light of its own. So the lit part of the Moon always points toward the Sun. Now as you can see in the diagram, as the Earth travels aroound the Sun, the tilt of the Earth on its axis sometimes points the northern hemisphere toward the Sun and sometimes points the southern hemisphere toward the Sun. This is why we have seasons here on Earth. But this also changes the apparent path of the Moon across the night sky when you are on the Earth looking out at it. Sometimes it travels at an angle toward the horizon and sometimes it travels straight down toward the horizon. When the crescent Moon travels straight down toward the horizon, you will get the 'U' shaped Moon. Many describe this as when the 'horns' of the Moon point upward. This can happen once or twice a year, again depending on the latitude of your location.

More here - starchild

In other words, if you draw a line from the center of the crescent through the center of the moon it will intersect the sun.

[masuk]

Op, the moon is always on the move--as is everything in the universe--though is in a slightly different orbital plane to us and is currently below the earth with respect to the sun and earth.

By below do you mean South? It must be this way for the 14 days that it is on the Sun side of the Earth's orbit then?

When I did my first flight to Europe, waaay, back, I noticed on leaving southern Australia that the new moon was bright and shining, and was like the letter "C".

We stopped off in Singapore, and lo and behold, the moon was on its back!

The following night in Europe, it was facing the other way, like the letter "D".

A quick, simple lesson in astronomy which I was never taught in school.