Why is the moon orange, really low, and setting really fast?
If you live in the northern hemisphere, then it’s true to say that the Moon set early at this particular crescent phase. This is because its path is taking it southwards (it’s in the position where the Sun will be in a month or so, i.e. heading towards autumn). That means it’s much lower in the western sky at this particular phase than it would be during the springtime, when it’s orbit is taking it northwards. On average the Moon sets 50 minutes later each night, but from New York, the setting times for 5 consecutive evenings from August 21st (the day after New Moon) are: 7:13 p.m., 7.39 p.m., 8.06 p.m., 8.36 p.m., 9.08 p.m.
