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Lunar precession (the moon’s wobble)

As seen from here on Earth, our moon has a number of types of wobble. Here we will look at each of them.

Lunar Libration

Over the course of a month, we see a bit more than half of the moon’s surface from here on Earth. This apparent motion is called lunar libration.

About 59% of the Moon’s surface is visible, thanks to

Lunar libration in latitude

due to the Moon’s axis being slightly inclined relative to the Earth’s axis. From our angle we can at one time peek over the north pole of the Moon, and then later in the lunar month we peek over the south pole. Over the entire four week cycle it gives the the effect of the Moon slowly “nodding its head yes.”

Diurnal (daily) libration

due to the observer first viewing from the western edge of the Earth as the Moon is rising, and then later from up to four thousand miles away to the east as the Moon is setting. This is due to the rotation of the Earth. The difference in perspective between the rising and setting of the Moon appears as a slight turning of the Moon first to west and then to east, as though “shaking its head no.”

Libration of longitude

an effect of the Moon’s varying rate of travel along its slightly elliptical orbit around the Earth. The Moon travels faster when it is at its closest to Earth, and its slowest when it is farthest away. Its rotation on its own axis is more regular, the difference appearing again as a slight east-west “no” oscillation.

— Skywise Unlimited, Astronomy 101

Lunar libration with phase

Why is there lunar libration? See this GIF from space.fm.

Lunar Axial precession

The rotational axis of the Moon undergoes precession.

What is precession? It is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body.

If the axis of rotation of a body is itself rotating about a second axis then that body is said to be precessing about the second axis.

Since the Moon’s axial tilt is only 1.5° with respect to the ecliptic (the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun), this effect is small.

Once every 18.6 years the lunar north pole describes a small circle around a point in the constellation Draco.

Correspondingly, the lunar south pole describes a small circle around a point in the constellation Dorado.

GIF Sphere moon planet axial precession

Lunar Apsidal precession

Wikipedia, Precessing Kepler orbit 280frames e0.6 smaller.gif

The major axis of the Moon’s elliptic orbit (the line of the apsides from perigee to apogee) precesses eastward by 360° in approximately 8.85 years.

This is the reason that an anomalistic month (the period the Moon moves from the perigee to the apogee and to the perigee again) is longer than the sidereal month (the period the Moon takes to complete one orbit with respect to the fixed stars).

Here we see the moon’s orbit apsidal precession: Lunar Apsidal motion

Wikimedia, Moon apsidal precession.png

Nodal precession

Precession of the plane of the Moon’s orbit.

The period = the time it takes the ascending node to move through 360° relative to the vernal equinox (autumnal equinox in Southern Hemisphere).

The period is about 18.6 years.

The direction of motion is westward, i.e. in the direction opposite to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, if seen from the celestial north.

Investigate: Is this animation in the right section?

and

This is the reason that a draconic month or nodal period (the period the Moon takes to return to the same node in its orbit) is shorter than the sidereal month.

After one nodal precession period, the number of draconic months exceeds the number of sidereal months by exactly one. This period is about 6,793 days (18.60 years).
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