children's book, or other piece of cartooning
intended to represent the early evening sky.
The crescent Moon is often drawn by itself as
proof that it is night time, especially if
the sky is not darkened in the drawing.
(figure 1)
| Here is a scene typically found in a comic strip, children's book, or other piece of cartooning intended to represent the early evening sky. The crescent Moon is often drawn by itself as proof that it is night time, especially if the sky is not darkened in the drawing. |
(figure 1) |
| Q: | The Moon is only out at night, right? | A: | The crescent Moon is seen near the horizon at night. However, if you look for it during the day you may spot it in the sky not too far away from the Sun (this depends on where the Moon is in its cycle). |
| Q: | Is there any significance to the direction of the crescent? | A: | The illuminated portion of the Moon must point toward the Sun, since the Moon's light is reflected sunlight. |
 (figure 2) |
In this drawing, the Sun must be below the horizon to the lower right of the Moon. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun and Moon both set in the west appearing to move down and to the right as you face the horizon. |
The drawing labeled figure 2 is the correct representation of a "bedtime" scene. The figure 1 drawing actually depicts the Moon as it might appear shortly before sunrise, yet that is how the Moon is almost always drawn in cartoons.
The crescent Moon is often drawn facing the wrong way because artists, unaware of the significance of the direction, draw what feels natural: a leftward facing curve if the artist is right-handed!