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Looking Back In the preceding chapter you watched Earth turning on its axis, making the sun rise and set. That daily cycle is probably the most important cycle in your life, but there are others, and now you are ready to watch the sun and moon move against the background of the stars. This Chapter The motions of the sun and moon have direct influences on your life and produce dramatic sights in the sky. As you explore these, you will find answers to five essential questions: What causes the seasons? Why does the moon go through phases? What is a lunar eclipse? What is a solar eclipse? How do astronomical cycles affect Earth’s climate? This chapter illustrates two powerful ways to analyze certain kinds of problems. Many problems in astronomy depend on seeing how light and shadow move through space in three dimensions. Phases and eclipses are good case studies. Also, if a process repeats, you can analyze it by searching for cycles. The seemingly complex motions of the sun and moon become simple and elegant when you see them as cycles. Looking Ahead Once you have a 21st-century understanding of your world and its motions, you will be ready to read the next chapter, where you will see how Renaissance astronomers analyzed what they saw in the sky and came to a revolutionary conclusion—that we live on a planet.
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Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon shines full and bright. PROVERB FROM OLD WOLFMAN MOVIES Chapter Contents:
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