The Moon Rises in the East, Sets West – While the #SolarEclipse Travels from West to East – Here’s What’s Happening
PopSci get out the ol’ trusty pencil and paper to make some drawings to help explain the phenomenon of how the moon rises in the east and sets in the west, while the upcoming #SolarEclipse will appear to travel from the west to the east over time.
Look at A and B from the side again, and you’ll see that the Moon actually passes in front of B, in the west, first. That’s why the eclipse’s shadow will travel from west to east.
Earth spins at about 1,040 miles per hour, while the moon moves around the Earth at about 2,100 mph. That means the shadow of the eclipse will travel east at a speed of 2,100-1,040= 1,060 miles per hour.
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Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell with Google Hangouts On-Air is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
