120903 Waxing Crescent Moon
ASTRO:
type=Planetary (Lunar)
mag=-9.0 (appx.)
const=(varies)
distance=239k mi.
size=1,080 mi. dia.
IMAGE:
illuminatiton=25% WxCr
exposure=DSLR OSC: 1x(1/125th)s, ISO400
EQUIPMENT:
optics=NIKKOR 70-300mm FX zoom, FL=300mm, f/4.2
camera=Nikon D90 (stk)
filter=(none)
mount=simple tripopd
guider=(none)
SOFTWARE:
acquisition=(in-camera)
processing=PhotoshopCC
click image to enlarge
The Moon's size is appx 1,080 miles in diameter; larger than the planetoid Pluto; comparable in size to the continent of Australia. Orbiting Earth at an average distance of 238,900 mi or about 30 times Earth's diameter, its gravitational influence very slowly lengthens Earth's day, impacts our monthly weather patterns, and is the main driver of Earth's oceanic tides. Its orbit around Earth has a sidereal period of 27.3 days.
The Moon is tidally locked to Earth, which means that the length of a full rotation of the Moon on its own axis is equal to the length of its revolution around the Earth. As a result, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. That said, about 59% of the total lunar surface can be seen from Earth through shifts in perspective due to libration (the month-long wagging or wavering of the Moon's position as seen from Earth).