Astronomy & Space - March 2007

There has been so many questions along these lines in the last couple days that I thought I'd just have to pass on this picture.

See http://www.spaceweather.com/

It's a brilliant site anyway, with facts about impending solar flares (which sometimes result in Aurora). But look at the picture on the home page. It shows the crescent moon and you can just see the rest of the moon.

This is caused by Earthshine, and is reflected light from the earth lighting up the part of the moon that the sunlight cannot reach.

What you have to realise is that just after new moon, when the moon is a thin crescent, the sun is way, way behind the moon (it is 400 times further away), so most of its light is illuminating the backside of the moon, with just a little of it reaching the frontside making that brilliant crescent.

2007-03-21 17:38:47 · 1 answers · asked by nick s 6

I think it explains it's self.

2007-03-21 17:08:28 · 10 answers · asked by J3llY b3@N 1

2007-03-21 17:07:27 · 12 answers · asked by Sloane 2

2007-03-21 16:52:36 · 8 answers · asked by Senthil 3

When spacecraft use the gravity of a celestial body to "slingshot" itself, how does the gravity actually help?

2007-03-21 16:37:33 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-03-21 16:35:05 · 5 answers · asked by titoshack 2

2007-03-21 16:19:26 · 6 answers · asked by b 5

2007-03-21 15:40:43 · 4 answers · asked by Paul A 1

2007-03-21 15:37:32 · 18 answers · asked by Paul A 1

What is time, does it really exist? Or is it just humans trying to create order out of chaos? Are our lives based on something that actually doesn't exist?

2007-03-21 15:29:04 · 13 answers · asked by Lifeless Energy 5

In this website, gravity is measured in m/s^2.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/index.html
Thanks for the help.

2007-03-21 15:14:17 · 8 answers · asked by pseudonym 5

2007-03-21 14:57:44 · 7 answers · asked by ihrtparisfrance 1

All space missions (I think) travel in the plane the Earth sits in and then uses the gravity from planets along the way to slingshot further.
Is is possible for a craft to just fly North or South away from the Earth rather than towards other planets in an East/West direction?

2007-03-21 14:55:27 · 4 answers · asked by Selfish Sachin 6

2007-03-21 14:55:06 · 4 answers · asked by basketballgurlie13192 2

No B.S. please.

If anyone wants to elaborate on Einsteins theory of the 40 time travel around the moon at light speed please do so as I was also home schooled for a time.

2007-03-21 14:54:35 · 11 answers · asked by PC Wizard 1

2007-03-21 14:44:58 · 7 answers · asked by dianne jean a 1

its for a school repost

2007-03-21 14:42:37 · 1 answers · asked by Anonymous

Its just a curious question, i mean if we ever did reach another universe we could unlock alot of secrets about how everything was formed.

2007-03-21 14:37:22 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-03-21 14:20:09 · 1 answers · asked by lashygirl81388 1

2007-03-21 14:20:07 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-03-21 14:15:40 · 10 answers · asked by lakersforlife 3

Constellations is a group of stars that form some kind of a pix.

2007-03-21 14:02:02 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous

I was thinking everyone is so worried about garbage and nuclear waste and all kinds of things being on this planet. So why dont we just ship them into outer space towards the sun and it would just get burned up. Besides it seems that most people believe there is nothing out there so why waste it. I for one believe in extraterestials but it seems that most dont so why not just ship this waste off the planet.

2007-03-21 14:00:20 · 13 answers · asked by Jason & Robin M 2

Pros and cons?

2007-03-21 13:56:52 · 5 answers · asked by kicking_back 5

ALEINS ARE REAL I PROMISE THEY ARE DO YOU BELEIVE!!!

2007-03-21 13:54:34 · 23 answers · asked by aleins exist! 1

will anyone survive

2007-03-21 13:48:59 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

when i was in england a long time ago there was a solar eclipse and my mom told me not to look at it or it will blind you. how would it blind you?? i thought it was just when the moon covers up the sun for a couple of minutes??!! wth is she talkin about!??

2007-03-21 13:39:50 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

Like is it a White Dwarf, a pulsar? or something along those lines.

2007-03-21 13:36:00 · 11 answers · asked by ♪infinityonice♫ 2

If so, what are you reasons for believing this?

2007-03-21 13:24:59 · 12 answers · asked by kicking_back 5

2007-03-21 12:54:48 · 5 answers · asked by jim m 5