Astronomy puzzle

David Jimerson

David Jimerson

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Staff member
A man was left at the altar. But, because he had already paid for his honeymoon to the California coast, he went anyway.

Still, it didn't help his spirits much; he moped around more than anything. One evening, he walked along the beach, looking down at his feet, ignoring the beautiful sunset off to his right. He heard a seagull caw in front of him and he looked up at it. When he did, he caught a glimpse of the moon . . . and then he continued his way down the beach.

Question: what was the phase of the moon?
 
Well, if he's on the coast in California with the sun setting on his right...then he is walking South. If he looks up and sees the moon, then it is in the southern sky.

That is all I was able to deduce so far...but thought it might point someone smarter than me in the right direction (or maybe give the totally wrong information, who knows)


Edited to add: This would put the moon at a 90-degree angle west of the sun which should put it in the Last Quarter Phase....correct?
 
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Oh wait...it is 90 degrees with him standing at the point of intersection. That should make the moon appear in a Gibbous phase, and with the sun to the man's right would make the moon appear in the Waxing Gibbous phase.

Right?
 
Go back and revisit your reasoning on both of those and keep in mind that at 93 million miles, the sun's rays are hitting in parallel.
 
I think I was closer on the first attempt...it would appear in a quarter phase, but I turned it around in my mind. The sun would be shining on it from the right side so it would appear in "First" Quarter Phase, not "Last" Quarter Phase.
 
That's frustrating knowing I was on the right track in the beginning, just turned around 180 degrees....but very satisfying to have solved the riddle which initially sounded very difficult to solve.

Thanks for the challenge!
 
Actually, Cap, I thought of that puzzle not long after I thought of you, because it was July 4th and I was walking past the NC NG 440th Army Band.
 
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