moon phase

[danblack]

Thanks for letting me join your forum

I hope somebody can help me with this long time question I have.

I am interested in what the moon phases are to calculate the correct tides. The moon sites I have seen so far ask if I am in the northern or southern hemisphere, as they are totally opposite images of the moon.

Although I am northern, it is by only 8 degrees. Would there not be a different image close to the equator

Thank you for the trouble of answering this

[Ad Astra]

The actual phase depends upon the geometry of Earth, Sun, and Luna, none of which are affected by where you happen to be on the globe at the time.

This said, Northern and Southern hemisphere observational guides are probably optimized for people between 25-50 degrees latitude - I suspect that this is mostly because that's where most of the population is, or at least where the major astronomy consumer markets are.

If you can find a straight 'north up' view, that should be sufficient for an equatorial view of the moon. I shouldn't think you would have any problems using such a map and a pair of 10x50 binoculars or any small telescope to identify all the major maria and craters.

Keep in mind that your binoculars are orthoscopic - they present a view that is right-side-up and correct left-right as well. In other words, the view is exactly the same as we see with our own eyes. Any telescope with either a mirror or a diagonal will invert the view. Generally, refractors show an inverted up-down image, while Newtonian telescopes flip the image in both axes. This isn't as bad as it sounds, it just takes practice. As you practice with your own scope, you will soon learn to 'flip the image' automatically without any problems.

I hope that helps.

Dan