Lunar Observations

• Daily Observations of the Moon: Constructing a Lunar Journal

  Before you start observing the Moon see if you can answer these questions:

1. Can you see the Moon during the day?
2. How does the Moon move relative to stars from night to night?
3. When can you see a thin crescent Moon?
4. What causes the Moon to shine?

To help you answer these questions you will need to keep a moon journal. This is a bit like a daily diary of how the Moon looks each day. You can download the Moon Log sheet (PDF file, 57 KB) and print it out or simply keep a daily record in a notebook or observing log.

Try and find the Moon in the sky once a day over a month*. If you manage to find it, sketch what it looks like in one of the boxes in the log. Make sure you also record when you saw it in the spaces provided. Don't worry if you miss a day or if it is too cloudy, just try again the next day but try and observe as often as you can.

(* Hint: You will not be able to see it every day of the month or even at the same time for some of the days).