Question

When you watch the Moon move across the sky, you notice that it appears to move from east to west; however, the Moon actually orbits Earth from west to east. It only looks like it moves from east to west because the speed of Earth’s rotation is faster than the Moon’s orbit around Earth. If you were in a space craft hovering in the Moon’s atmosphere, the Moon would appear to orbit in its actual direction (west to east). Why would the apparent motion of the Moon be different, depending on where the viewer is located?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Because Earth rotates on its axis from west to east, the Moon and the Sun (and all other celestial objects) appear to move from east to west across the sky. Viewed from above, however, the Moon orbits Earth in the same direction as our planet rotates. So, the Moon actually moves from west to east through our sky, albeit so slowly that we almost never notice it. 

During a total solar eclipse, however, we can see the Moon’s true motion as it crosses the Sun’s face from west to east. As this occurs, the Moon’s shadow follows it — moving in the same direction — and tracks a path across Earth’s surface.