stupid question ... I think :O)

[Moon monkey]

Sorry if this is a bit stupid .... but im going to ask it anyway

If I was viewing the moon from australia would it look upside down ? (serious)

[Capricorn]

Yes.

[steppenwolf]

Yes it would - this gave me all sorts of grief finding my way around the New Zealand skies earlier this year - It is only when you see Orion upside down and Sirius leading that you can really confirm that you are on the other side of the World!

[Alastair Rae]

Short answer - yes. Draw a circle (the Earth) with a little stick figure looking up at the moon in the northern hemisphere. Then draw another one in the southern hemishere. The southern one is upside down but the moon hasn't moved!

[Capricorn]

At least you asked the question correctly. :grin:

If you had put is as: Is the moon upside down in Australia then the answer would be No. :confused:

The moon does not change.

It just looks upside down because you are. :rolleyes:

[Steve Ward]

Couple of screenshots to demonstrate ,

75 degrees North.

51 degrees South.

I had to check . . .

Steve.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The only stupid question is the one you dont ask.

Yes the Moon does look upside down compared to looking at it from the northern hemisphere.

Its very strange looking indeed, but us astronomers are used to looking at objects that are flipped and rotated........

On my travels i have seen the Moon from various locations (all northern hemisphere locations) and the further south you go towards the equator, the more the view changes (not the face of the moon but the angle it appears to be sitting at). Quite strange.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Ignore the above image of Orion. I was trying to show you how it looks "down under", but the forum software seems to have posted it in its northern hemisphere orientation.

To see it like our southern mats see it.......................stand on your head and have a look, LOL

[Matt Scunthorpe]

The image from Luke but flipped. So southern Hemisphere orientation.

[Moon monkey]

Fantastic ... thank you all for your time and effort explaining this ,,,!! ps... can I stop standing on me head now ;O)

[Cornelius Varley]

It would be the right way up, for an Australian that is. Conversely, an Australian living in the Northern hemisphere would think that the moon was upside down. I'll get my coat.

Peter

[Matt Scunthorpe]

To be honest, its something ive always wondered too from seeing a picture obviously taken from down under with the moon being upside down. Another one is how water spins around the plughole the opposite direction

[LukeSkywatcher]

Fantastic ... thank you all for your time and effort explaining this ,,,!! ps... can I stop standing on me head now ;O)

If you must.

[kirkster501]

I spent a lot of time working in Kenya and Zambia and seeing Orion's belt directly overhead is amazing. Seems really strange seeing Sirius blazing down from nearly directly overhead and following South you see Canopus roughly where we'd see Sirius.