why is the moon never directly overhead?

Question

The moon is always over there its never directly overhead.

Answer 1

If you've never seen the Moon directly overhead, it's almost certain you've never seen the Sun directly overhead, either.

The Moon orbits at an angle that varies between 18 and 28 degrees relative to the equator. If you lived at 28 degrees latitude or lower (southern Florida or further South), the Moon could be located directly overhead. Or, if you lived in the Southern hemisphere above 28 degrees South latitude, you'd occasionally see the Moon directly overhead (Brazil, Peru, etc).

The Sun's position travels at an angle of 23 degrees relative to the equator. The Moon probably started out orbiting along the Earth's equator, but the Sun's gravity has pulled the Moon to within 5 degrees of it's own plane. That means the Moon's orbit varies between -5 and +5 degrees of the Sun's plane (actually, the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun).

Answer 2

The easiest way to imagine this: Just take the Sun first, it is almost the same for the Moon. For our common places (ie northern hemisphere) the Sun in summer stands high, the Sun in winter stands low, but still always along the SOUTH sky. So the Moon does the same. However, high Full Moon in winter, low Full Moon in summer (just because you can imagine the moon is opposite the sun). But also the Moon always along the SOUTH sky. Sun and Moon are along the NORTH sky for people of the Southern hemisphere. Just for them between Tropic of Cancer line and Tropic of Capricorn line, the Sun and Moon can climb directly overhead! On other days of the year it is high but on the northern side of the sky, or it is high but on the southern side of the sky. After telling all this, you can be more precise now if you also know that the orbit of the 'moon around earth' in fact makes an angle of around 5 degrees with the orbit of 'earth around sun'. This means e.g. that if the sun has a maximum height for a particular place, the moon can even stand 5 degrees higher than that. So this just means that the 2 Tropic Lines mentioned above as borders, are enlarged actually with some 5 degrees.

Answer 3

Same as the Sun. Neither the Son nor the Moon is ever directly overhead unless you are in the tropics. It is because the Earth is round so that the ground near the poles is tilted away from the Sun and Moon.

Answer 4

If you were within about 5 degrees of the tropics, the moon would be sometimes directly overhead.

Answer 5

The moon orbits the same path if you lived in the right place you would have the moon directly overhead.

Answer 6

Well I live 10º 30' North of the equator, and the moon is overhead fairly frequently.
I think perhaps you may live a bit further North or South than I do.

Answer 7

I think, my friend, that you do not live at the earth's equator.

The moon circles around the earth's equator; if you are north or south of that (as most of the earth's population is), you will see it nower in the sky than overhead.

Answer 8

We dont see precisely the position of Moon and Sun... well not always... Actually only when they are over our heads in proper time of year when Earth is in wright position... Only between main parallels as I know so far... Image of Moon over horrison is bented by atmosphere reflection working like prism... Simply Moon is not where you see him... Just if you would like to know...

Answer 9

Because of the latitude you live at. If you went to another, it could be.