# Apparent path of moon in the sky **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291 "2004-11-01T10:13:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291/21 "2004-11-02T04:24:54Z")
> [@Freddy the Pig](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > How does the apparent path of the moon vary through the seasons? > > It doesn’t. Again, the moon goes through the north-to-south-and-back cycle every month. What varies is _which phase the moon shows_ at which point in the cycle. No, it _does_ vary over the course of a year. If you plotted out the elevation of the full Moon at midnight each time it’s full for a year, you’d find that it’s highest closer to December 20, and lowest closer to June 20. That’s because the Moon is approximately in the ecliptic, so basically follows the same path as the Sun. Except the full Moon is on the opposite side as the Sun, so it’s lower in the summer, higher in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291/22 "2004-11-02T06:10:00Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > No, it _does_ vary over the course of a year. If you plotted out the elevation of the full Moon at midnight each time it’s full for a year, you’d find that it’s highest closer to December 20, and lowest closer to June 20. That’s because the Moon is approximately in the ecliptic, so basically follows the same path as the Sun. Except the full Moon is on the opposite side as the Sun, so it’s lower in the summer, higher in the winter. Aarggh. This is getting confusing. I might just set up a cheap digital camera (with UV and ‘polaroid’ filters) in a small dome on the roof to point at the sky through a fisheye lens and save an image to disk every hour, whilst dark, for a few months. This should give me an idea of what is going on. All I need is funding. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291/23 "2004-11-02T17:01:58Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Except the full Moon is on the opposite side as the Sun, so it’s lower in the summer, higher in the winter. Hence my statement that “what varies is which phase the moon shows at which point in the cycle.” ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291/24 "2004-11-02T18:48:49Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Aarggh. This is getting confusing. I might just set up a cheap digital camera (with UV and ‘polaroid’ filters) in a small dome on the roof to point at the sky through a fisheye lens and save an image to disk every hour, whilst dark, for a few months. > > This should give me an idea of what is going on. > > All I need is funding. All you need is this [site.](http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/article_1220_1.asp#) I don’t remember if you have to register, but I do remember not paying for it. This is well worth it the free registration if it’s required. After you select your latitude and longitude, set the clock for your midnight (standard time), then highlight the days, and then click on the ‘+’ button to move forward one day at a time (’-’ button to go back one day at a time). If you click and hold down on either button and then move the mouse while holding down the button, the days scroll by faster to a point where you can see the moon traverse the sky every midnight, for every day and you will see the actual paths of the moon move northward towards the winter solstice, and southward towards the summer solstice. This will give you a definitive view of what you seek. Pretty cool, huh! ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291/25 "2004-11-03T02:22:30Z")
Upon further review, I noticed that **Antechinus** is in the southern Hemisphere, so your summer solstice is in December and the full moon is low in the sky to the north, and your winter solstice is in June and the full moon is at it’s highest in the sky (southernmost). Does that help any? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparent-path-of-moon-in-the-sky/272291.md?page=1)