Does The Moon

[weecalf]

While out walkies in the morning the moon is never in the same place ..Why ..and only on one morning have I seen stars on the horizon usually high in the sky .Theres wan for

[frugalfred]

The Moon precesses. Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. Difficult to explain without a diagram,

[Gizmonster]

The moon rotates around the earth - once every 29 days ish.

Not sure what you mean by, "Theres wan for"

[weecalf]

Just a term for there is a question I would like you to consider and perhaps give me an explanation for

[Prudie]

The moon rises and sets approx an hour's difference every day but I thought it followed the same route in the way the sun does.

[DTCwordfan]

It's a bit like Baldric walking Roger first thing in the morning and God Help if there's a ladder in the way......

[New Judge]

As Gizmo says, the Moon orbits the Earth. As well as this, of course, the Earth rotates on its axis. It is this second thing that makes both the Sun and the Moon “rise” and “set”. Leaving aside the difference in elevation caused by the seasons (which is, in fact, caused by the Earth’s journey around the Sun and the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis) the Sun appears roughly in the same place every day. At noon it is near enough as high in the sky as its gets during the day. This is not the same for the moon. The moon travels around the Sun in about 28 days. If you look at where it is at, say, 8pm on Monday, at 8pm on Tuesday it will be one twenty-eighth of a circle (about 12.8 degrees) behind where it was on Monday. It takes it about 50 minutes to catch up with where it was the day before. This is also the reason why the tides of the sea are later every day. There are two “high tides” each day and they occur opposite each other on the parts of the Earth’s surface that are directly in line with the Moon. Each high tide occurs about 12 hours and 25 minutes after the previous one.

(Note this is a simple explanation; there are other factors, too complex to go into here, that vary the above figures slightly).

[ichkeria]

The moons orbits the earth once every 27 or so days. The earth is also spinning on its axis. If it were to appear in the same position every day the two would have to be in synch, but they aren't. The earth needs 50 mins of turning roughly to catch up each day.

[ichkeria]

Sorry NJ has already explained it fuller and better :-)

[douglas9401]

Please ensure you don't live in a caravan, moving many miles each day. :P

[New Judge]

I think, ikky, your explanation was slightly better. Especially "The earth needs 50 mins of turning roughly to catch up each day."

If you stand in the same place on the Earth for 24 hours you will see the Moon set and rise (assuming it is visible, which it isn't always, but let's not complicate things too much). Because it is travelling around the Earth, after 24 hours the Moon has "moved on" by one twenty-eighth of its circular journey around the Earth and it takes the Earth about 50 minutes (24 hours divided by 28) of spinning on its axis before the Moon appears to you to be in the same place as it was yesterday.