Does the moon wax from left to right when viewing from south of the equator?

Question

As opposed to right to left from when viewing from the northern hemisphere. If so... what is a good way to explain it or visualise this?

Answer 1

Yes, everything's upside down from down under!

If you're facing south looking at an early crescent setting in the northern hemisphere, the Moon is on your right, and the Sun is further to the right (west), so the right (west) side of the Moon is illuminated. From the southern hemisphere, you're facing north, and west is on your left. The western side of the Moon is still illuminated, but now you see it on the left. The Moon, of course, appears upside down.

Answer 2

Yes and no. If the moon is high enough in the sky (it can appear at the zenith as far as 28 degrees from the equator) "left" and "right" lose their meaning! Otherwise yes, things can look "upside down" from down under.

I remember being in New Zealand in 1996 and waiting anxiously for a clear enough sky to find constellations. I spotted Orion, but it did not look quite right, and I could not find Taurus or any of the other goodies...then I realized Orion looked upside down to me! It is true.

Back to the question, the moon can be "high" enough in the sky so that the left right thing would look reversed at certain times of the year north of the equator (or in the regular temeperate northern hemisphere orientation south of the equator!), so it depends.

Answer 3

I don't think so.

The moon's waxing direction does not depend on the latitude. Rather, it depends on which direction the moon rotates the Earth. If the moon were in retrograde (CW) rotation, then it would wax from left to right and wane from right to left.

Answer 4

sure