Expert: Ed - 4/5/2004

Question
Hi,

I have been studying the relationship and movements of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. Their relative positions to each other over time in particular. As a reference marker, I am using the Terminator(sun line) on the Lunar surface, since it is viewed from the Earth, but determined by the relative positions of all three objects.

I have the Planetarium software by Fogware Publishing. It is relatively cheap software, but it seems to do the job. Using this program I have determined the longitudinal position of the Terminator on the moon's surface to be at these positions on these dates and times:

7-20-1969   at 4:17 pm EDT  the Terminator was at about 18 degrees East.
11-19-1969   at 1:54 am EST  the Terminator was at about 24 degrees West.
2-5-1971 at 4:18 am EST      the Terminator was at about 26 degrees West.
7-30-1971 at 6:16 pm EDT  the Terminator was at about 10 degrees West.
4-20-1972 at 7:34 pm EST  the Terminator was at about 8 degrees West.
12-11-1972 at 2:55 pm EST  the Terminator was at about 17 degrees East.


The problem is, I'm not sure I'm doing this right.

Would you be able to help confirm or correct these findings?  Or perhaps direct me to a good source for such information?

Thank you very much,

Ed


Answer
Dear Ed,
As a fellow Ed, I would like to answer your question myself.  However, there are AllExperts on this service that I know have more expertise in this particular area, and so, in good conscience, I think I should suggest that you ask them instead of me.

In particular, I suggest that you ask Tom Hocking.  He has actually done computer programming for mutlimedia planetarium software, so... he's your man!  If he's busy, Stephen LJ Russo is also excellent.

http://www.allexperts.com/displayExpert.asp?Expert=23427
http://www.allexperts.com/displayExpert.asp?Expert=33471

I'm sorry not to answer your question myself.  I'm just thinking that if you have any follow-up questions, or whatever, those guys will have years of experience in matters that I know very little about.

Best regards, and Keep Looking Up!
--Ed