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@Andrew___Baker Visualize the Earth’s axis. (If it helps, imagine a line running from you to the North Star, which remains at a fixed location in the sky). Roughly speaking, the moon rotates counterclockwise around that axis while the sun corkscrews (up winter/spring, down summer/fall). 1/2
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@Andrew___Baker So the moon—just like the sun—is rising in the east (not due) and setting in the west. But the sun takes 24 hours and moon takes ~23 hours, so the moon is constantly “falling behind.” When they’re setting at ~opposite times it’s a full moon 🌕; ~same times new moon 🌚. 2/2
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@Andrew___Baker Jeez is it only Harvard that teaches this stuff anymore?
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@Andrew___Baker For more, highly recommend The Stars A New Way to See Them by H. A. Rey. Much better than all his other books which are for some reason about a naughty monkey.