The Moon’s Libration. The moon “librates,” i.e., it seems to oscillate back and
ID: 1430156 • Letter: T
Question
The Moon’s Libration. The moon “librates,” i.e., it seems to oscillate back and forth as seen from the earth (instead of rotating). Determine the angle by which the Moon appears to librate due to the finite size of the Earth, for an observer in Ithaca. Such an observer is carried along with the Earth’s rotation, so that over the course of the night, s/he views the Moon from different perspectives. This is essentially the parallax of the Moon as it is observed from different locations on the sphere of the Earth.
Explanation / Answer
The moon's libration.
Determine the angle by which the moon appears to librate due to the finite size of the earth,
This is essentially the parallaxof the moon as it is observed from different location on the spher of the earth.
37°54`north
122°32`west