-
The two dates from the chart above that would have nights with a full moon are October 31, 2020, and November 30, 2020. On these dates, the percent illuminated is listed as 100%, indicating that the entire illuminated portion of the moon was visible from Earth.
-
Yes, Halloween night 2020 had a full moon, which means that the entire moon was lit by the sun on that night. During a full moon phase, it occurs when the Earth is positioned directly between the sun and the moon. As a result, the side of the moon that faces Earth is fully illuminated by the sun, making the entire disk visible to observers on Earth. The chart indicates that on October 31, 2020, the moon was 100% illuminated, confirming that it was completely lit. This phenomenon allows for bright nights with ample moonlight, often enhancing nighttime visibility. The full moon phase is a striking sight, providing a round, luminous orb in the sky that captivates viewers. Additionally, because Halloween is often associated with spooky themes, the presence of a full moon adds to the ambiance, making it a memorable experience for those celebrating the holiday. Thus, the full moon on Halloween not only signifies complete illumination but also enhances the festive atmosphere of the night.
When we look at the moon, the light that we see is actually the light of the sun reflected by the moon. Half of the moon is always in sunlight and half is always in darkness. Even though half of the moon stays lit, or illuminated, by the sun, the moon appears to have different shapes on different nights. These shapes are called phases. Different phases occur because we see different amounts of the lighted half of the moon on different days. The more of the illuminated side of the moon we see, the larger the moon appears to be. The less of the illuminated side of the moon we see, the smaller the moon appears. For example, during the full moon phase, all of the lighted part of the moon is seen from Earth and the moon appears fully lit. During the new moon phase, when the whole moon appears very dark, only the non-lit part of the moon is visible to Earth. The names of all the phases of the moon are shown below.
an illustration of moon cycles is shown: full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous
These moon phases occur in a highly predictable pattern. New moon is always followed by waxing crescent, then first quarter, then waxing gibbous, then full moon, then waning gibbous, then third (or last) quarter, then waning crescent, then back to new moon. Then the cycle repeats. This cycle of phases of the moon are caused by the Moon’s revolution around the Earth. One complete cycle of moon phases takes 29.5 days, or one month (think “moon-th”).
a table is shown
(the table is large so ill try my best to type it all)
How much of the lit portion of the moon do we see?
date in 2020
10/31
11/1
11/2
11/3
11/4
11/5
11/6
11/7
percent illuminated
100
99
97
93
87
80
71
62
date in 2020
11/8
11/9
11/10
11/11
11/12
11/13
11/14
11/15
percent illuminated
50
41
30
20
11
5
1
0
date in 2020
11/16
11/17
11/18
11/19
11/20
11/21
11/22
11/23
percent illuminated
3
8
15
24
33
43
51
63
date in 2020
11/24
11/25
11/26
11/27
11/28
11/29
11/30
percent illuminated
72
80
87
93
97
99
100
use the information above to answer the following questions you must use full sentences to record your response.
1. which two dates from the chart above would have nights with a full moon
2. Halloween night 2020 had a full moon. Does this mean that the entire moon was lit by the sun on that night? explain your answer (200 word limit)
1 answer