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The side of the moon that is illuminated is always the side that is facing the sun. Whether you perceive that as facing east or west depends on the phase of the moon and the time of day that you observe it. If the moon is in its first quarter and you observe it in the evening, the side that faces west (toward the setting sun) is illuminated. If the moon is in its third quarter and you observe it in the morning, the side that faces east (toward the rising sun) is illuminated.

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14y ago
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4mo ago

The side of the moon that is illuminated depends on its position in orbit around Earth. When we see a full moon, the side facing Earth is fully illuminated, so neither the east nor the west side is specifically illuminated. As the moon moves in its orbit, the illuminated portion shifts, giving us the phases of the moon.

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Q: Which side of the moon is illuminated the east or the west?
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Related questions

Where is the moon when you have a full moon?

During a full moon, the moon is directly opposite the sun in the sky, which is why we see it fully illuminated from Earth. It rises in the east as the sun sets in the west, and is visible throughout the night.


Is the east side or the west side of the moon is covered first in a lunar eclipse?

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Is the east or west side of the moon covered first in a lunar eclipse?

During a lunar eclipse, the moon can be covered from any side, depending on the alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun. There is no fixed pattern as to whether the east or west side of the moon is covered first during a lunar eclipse.


Is the moon's elongation east or west during the waxing phases?

During waxing of the moon, it is lite from the right side. The moon appears to get large from West to East After it passes the Full Moon and starts to wane, it is lite from the left side.


Is the east side or the west side of the sun covered first during a solar eclipse?

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IS the moon facing west or east when it is a full moon?

The Moon has no east-west direction with respect to Earth. East-west describes the direction of, or opposite direction of a sphere that is rotating. (Like Earth.) As it turns out, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. The phases of the Moon, like full Moon, result from which direction the SUN is from the Moon and Earth.


How do you know if the moon will appear in the East side or West side of the sky (around maybe pm not talking about moon-rise or moon-set)?

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When the moon crosses the eastern side of the horizon plane is it rising or setting?

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Does the moon move west or east?

The moon roates around the earth from east to west.


Does the moon move east to west or west to east?

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If you can see the moon in the east it is an what moon?

That all depends what time of day you see it in the east. If it's rising in the east within a few hours before the sun, it's a waning crescent. If it's rising in the east around Noon, it's at First Quarter, and appears half illuminated. If it's rising in the east just as the sun is setting in the west, then it's full. If it's rising in the east around midnight, then it's at Last Quarter, and is half illuminated.


Which side of the moon is covered first in the lunar eclipse?

If you're watching a lunar eclipse from anywhere in the northern hemisphere, you'll generally see the shadow begin to creep across the moon from the left to the right ... the east side to the west side. If you're watching from a place in the Southern Hemisphere, it'll still be from the east side of the moon to the west side, but the way you're facing to watch the moon, that'll be from your right to your left