Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello everyone. I'd just like to ask a question relating to my findings that I observed today. At around 9PM on the 18th of June, I took a photo of the Moon. Now, I'm going to refer to the Lunar atlas here, so that you get a better understanding about what I'm trying to say. "Mare foecunditatis and Mare Nectaris", or as I call them: "The crab claw like feature on the right side of the Moon", tend to tilt as the Moon travels through its phases. But, upon observing the Moon, I noticed something rather strange. The crab-claw feature on the right of the Moon (As shown on the red-tinted Moon image), is tilted upwards slightly. But, on the 19th of June, at 00:04AM, Just four hours after that image was taken, I took another photo. What I saw made me wonder. The crab-claw like feature had tilted downwards. Now, I know that the Moon tilts on its axis, but my question is, does it really do it this fast? Take a look for yourself.

MOON IMAGE 1: (Taken on June 18th, 9PM) https://gyazo.com/5b9a6c0c86d2c4b6acc8b33193c9bbb1
MOON IMAGE 2: (Taken on June 19th, 00:04 AM) https://gyazo.com/b3db5cf3c633300284001c68e3ac172e

Hi Sahviiksil,

Is your question related to a K-12 science fair project? If not, then a different set of online forums will be better able to help you. These forums are specifically for K-12 students, parents, and teachers working on science fair projects.

That said, no, the Moon doesn't move through libration that quickly. Something else, such as viewing geometry or lens position, is responsible for the difference between the images.