Lunar Libration Explained: The Science Behind the Moon's Wobble скачать в хорошем качестве

Lunar Libration Explained: The Science Behind the Moon's Wobble

Help support this channel on Patreon:   / astrophil   Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @astrophil2000   Welcome, my name is Phil, and in this video, I explain what causes the Moon to appear to wobble. Lunar libration refers to the oscillating motion of the Moon, which allows observers from Earth to see slightly different portions of the lunar surface over time. This phenomenon occurs due to a combination of several factors but the main ones discussed in this video are: Orbital Eccentricity: The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. As a result, the Moon's orbital speed varies: it moves faster when it is closer to Earth (at perigee) and slower when it is farther away (at apogee). This variation in speed causes the Moon to appear to wobble slightly, a motion known as libration in longitude. This allows us to see about 6 degrees further around the eastern and western edges of the Moon over the course of its orbit. Axial Tilt: The Moon's axis is tilted by about 6.7 degrees relative to its orbital plane around Earth. This tilt means that at different times in its orbit, observers on Earth can see slightly more of the northern or southern lunar hemispheres. This is referred to as libration in latitude. Combining these effects allows observers on Earth to see up to about 59% of the Moon's surface over time, despite the Moon keeping the same face roughly directed towards Earth (due to synchronous rotation).