![]() The most common names used in North America include: In fact, each full Moon of the year has its own name, most of which are associated with the weather or agriculture. Because the equinox always falls in late September, it is generally a full Moon in September which is given this name, although in some years the full Moon of early October earns the "harvest" designation. ![]() The full Moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox is commonly referred to as the "Harvest Moon," since its bright presence in the night sky allows farmers to work longer into the fall night, reaping the rewards of their spring and summer labors. Mark a spot on the basketball, which represents you as an observer on Earth, then play with various alignments of Earth and Moon in the light of your imaginary Sun. You can create a mockup of the relationship between Sun, Earth, and Moon using a bright lamp, a basketball, and a baseball. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5). At full Moon, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later (3). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. The Moon spends the extra 2.2 days "catching up" because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth.Īt the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5).The Moon has phases because it orbits Earth, which causes the portion we see illuminated to change. Only a few examples of John Russell’s Selenographia are known to have been sold and even fewer survive.At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). ![]() The surface of the globe was printed from engraved copper plates and the sheets of paper cut into so-called gores that were then attached to the papier-mâché globe. Russell designed a stand for the globe, which demonstrated the libration, or motions, of the moon. Unlike the lunar pastels and sketches, which were private, the globes were made for the commercial market and could be purchased by subscription. Russell completed 187 moon drawings, and this obsessive and devoted study resulted in both this large pastel and the moon globe, which Russell named the ‘Selenographia’. Like other contemporary astronomers, Russell was systematic in his methods, observing and charting the moon during his midnight vigils. But this was not just religious and artistic worship. He noted in his diary, ‘ tonight being in the Street I had a sight of the Stars that God was pleas’d to preach to me from, and I had my Soul filled with the Hopes of … Immortality’. While portraits dominated his public work, Russell’s private efforts were dedicated to systematic astronomical sketches of the moon over a 30-year period, with his interest most intense in the mid-1790s, when he obtained a Dollond achromatic refractor, the latest in telescope technology.įor Russell, celestial observation was an act of devotion. ![]() Russell was particularly noted for his skill in pastel and made his own crayons, achieving a variety of nuanced colours by blending just 14 pigments. This enormous depiction of the moon, over 5ft in diameter, was completed in 1795 by the celebrated portrait artist John Russell (1745–1806). Moon Pastel and Selenographia Moon Globe John Russell
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