57.3k views
1 vote
The time between two consecutive new moons is called

A) a sidereal month.
B) a solar month.
C) a lunar month.
D) a moonth.
E) a synodic month.

User Mike Kelly
by
8.5k points

1 Answer

7 votes

Final answer:

The time between two consecutive new moons is called a synodic month, or a lunar month, which lasts about 29.53 days due to the additional time the Moon needs to align with the Sun after completing its orbit around Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The time between two consecutive new moons is known as a synodic month or a lunar month. A synodic month is approximately 29.53 days long, differing from the sidereal month, which is about 27.32 days. This difference arises because as the Moon completes a revolution around the Earth, the Earth has moved along its orbit around the Sun. Consequently, the Moon requires an additional period roughly corresponding to 1/12th of the Earth's orbit around the Sun to align with the Sun once more and form a new moon.

To clarify, a new moon occurs when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, preventing the Sun's light from reflecting off the Moon's surface and making it invisible from our vantage point on Earth. The Moon orbits the Earth and eventually reaches the same position relative to the Sun, signaling the beginning of a new lunar cycle.

User Hammygoonan
by
8.4k points