Our Moon reaches apogee, (greatest distance from Earth), for this orbit, on Wednesday January 29^th. At that time the Moon will be at a distance of 31.78 Earth diameters 251,899 miles (405,393 km) from the Earth.

   On the day of the apogee Moon the 5-day old waxing crescent Moon rises around mid-morning and sets before midnight. At around sunset the Moon will over the southwestern horizon with Venus shining brightly lower and closer to the horizon.

   Does our Moon actually go around the Earth as this graphic shows? From our perspective on the Earth the Moon appears to circle around the Earth. However, in reality, the Moon orbits the Sun together with the Earth^*

   ^*Click here to read my 2006 Scope on the Sky column “The Real Shape of the Moon’s Orbit”. (PDF)

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to go to bobs-spaces.


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