How to Tell Time by the Moon

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This fun science learning activity for upper elementary students requires the involvement of a parent, teacher, or scout leader. It requires staying up late on or near a full moon, so it's not appropriate for a school night! All the instructor needs to do is have the pupil estimate the time by the moon at various intervals between about 9:00 P.M. and 3:00 A.M. Your role as instructional observer is to keep note of the actual time, while keeping the student away from clocks. We recommend setting random alarms on your cellular telephone (for example, 9:15 P.M., 10:00 P.M., 10:45 P.M., etc.).

On some nights this is a very simple thing to do, for when the moon is full it is due south at exactly 12 o'clock midnight, as shown in the image on the PDF handout. Click here to print. Every night before the moon is full you will find it due south 55 minutes earlier, so that you must subtract 55 minutes from 12 o'clock for each day; that is, one day before a full moon it is due south at 11:05 P.M.; two days before a full moon it is due south at 10:10 P.M.; three days before a full moon it is due south at 9:15 P.M., and so on. After the moon is full it will be due south 55 minutes later every night and then you must add 55 minutes to 12 o'clock; that is, one day after a full moon it is due south at 12:55 A.M.; two days after a full moon it is due south at 1:50 A.M.; three days after a full moon it is due south at 2:45 A.M., and so on. The moon's day is 27½ of our days long. The moon's year is 27½ of our days long. The moon's diameter is approximately 2,160 miles (3,475 kilometers). The distance from the moon to the earth is 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers).

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