How exactly does the Moon travel around the Earth (pt.2)?

Question

Does it travel above the equator, or is its trajectory tilted? How long does it take to complete one circle? What does the 28 day moon period refer to?

Answer 1

The moon travels in a plane which is inclined by about 6 degrees with respect to the ecliptic, so is increased by about 18 degrees with respect to the equator. The moon returns to a position with respect to the stars every 27.5 days, but the earth has moved around the sun by about 30 degrees, so the moon returns to a position with respect to the sun every 29.5 days, approximately. The 28 day period is an error.

Answer 2

As viewed from the Earth -
The Moon orbit has a 27.3 day period.That means it takes that many days for it to go all the way around the Earth. The Moon spins around its own axis at the same period, that is one revolutin every 27.3 days so that the same side is always facing the Earth. The moon orbit is tilted at about 5.2 deg. to the ecliptic. Otherwise there would be a full solar eclipse and a full lunar eclipse every month.
The Moon distance averages about 239 thousand miles, but the orbit is not a circle, it is nearly an ellipse and it is almost circular. It does not orbit around the center of the Earth.The Moon and the Earth are a momentum couple and both rotate around a common axis called a barycenter. It is located within the Earth about 3/4 the way from the center to the surface. The Earth kind of wobbles around this barycenter axis while it spins on its own axis at a period of nearly one day.
Because the Moon orbits around the Earth its orbital velocity speeds -up and slows -down as it keeps up with and maintains its average distance form the Earth as it orbits the Sun. You can demonstrate this by placing a basketball on the gym floor and walking around it at a constant speed. Then have the ball rolling slowly across the floor and in order to keep your average distance you have to speed- up and slow down like the Moon,
Viewed from a great distance the path of the Moon would look much differently than it does from Earth.

Answer 3

The moon actually has a primary orbit of circling the sun
it is caught in the earth's gravity as well and circles the earth
every 28 days.
This places the moon in different positions of our sky and different reference angle to the sun.
This causes us as observers to see different amounts of
the surface illuminated by sunlight.

Answer 4

The Earth and its moon both have magnetic fields surrounding them. Like poles repel while opposites attract. The centralized fields of both planets balance the repulsion and attraction so the Moon's orbit remains stationary in its 28 day trip around the Earth.

Answer 5

It orbits the Earth. The period you refer to is not exactly 28 days, and it is one month.

Answer 6

trajectory tilted.
28 days

Answer 7

It also travels in an elliptical path, so at different times of the year its distance from the earth can differ by about 50000 km.