Question

On full moon day what is the position of the moon?
(A) Parallel side of the sun
(B) Front of sun
(C) Opposite side of the sun
(D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The moon is our earth's only one satellite. Its diameter is only around one-quarter of that of the earth. It is nearer to our planet than other celestial bodies which is the reason why it appears so big. The distance of the moon from the earth is around 3,84,400 km.

Complete answer:
It takes about 27 days for the moon to move around the earth and also to complete one spin; it takes exactly the same time. Only one side of the moon is visible to us on the earth as a result. There are no conditions favorable for life on the moon. It has plains, mountains, and depressions on its surface. Thus, these cast shadows on the moon’s surface.
In relation to the Sun, a full moon is a phase that appears when the Moon is more-or-less behind the Earth. From the Sun to the Earth, the Moon is on the direct line and on the opposite side of the planet from the Sun. During its orbit of the Earth, this shows the maximum illumination of the lunar surface.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: Although always the same side of the Moon faces the Earth, due to a process called libration, the maximum area visible can keep changing so that more than $50\mathrm{\%}$ of the Moon's surface (about$59\mathrm{\%}$) will be visible from the Earth at one time or another. From earth, the other $41\mathrm{\%}$ will never be visible. Although during its orbit, that $41\mathrm{\%}$ portion of the moon receives the same average illumination from the Sun.