Question

One night Katrina was studying the position of the stars and the Moon in the sky. She made a sketch of the position of the Moon in the sky, as shown in the figure.


What is the reason for this movement of the Moon in the sky?
A The rotation of Earth about its axis
B Earth’s orbital motion around the Sun
C The Moon’s orbital motion around Earth
D The rotation of the Moon about its axis
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Answer 1

A. The apparent movement of the Moon (and the stars) across the sky during a night is caused by Earth's rotation on its axis. The Moon's own orbital motion produces only a slow eastward drift relative to the stars over days, and the Moon's rotation and Earth's orbit around the Sun are not responsible for the nightly westward sweep.