• Naval Observatory Moon
• Us Naval Observatory Moonrise Times

Inside Number One Observatory Circle, the often overlooked but stunning residence where every vice president has lived since 1977

• Number One Observatory Circle in Washington, DC, is the official residence of the vice president.
• Located on the grounds of the Naval Observatory about 2.5 miles north of the White House, it is hidden from public view by shrubbery and doesn't offer public tours.
• Every vice president since 1977 has lived in the home.
• Take a look inside the private complex, where Vice President Mike Pence and his family currently reside and where Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his family lived previously.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Moon Phases for United States Navy Memorial, Nov 30, 2020 – Dec 21, 2020. The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States, with a primary mission to produce Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense.

Everyone knows that the president of the United States lives in the White House, but far fewer know that the office of the vice president comes with an official residence of its own.

Number One Observatory Circle, located on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, has been the official residence of the vice president since 1974. Vice President Mike Pence and his family currently live in the private complex. Walter Mondale, who served as the vice president under Jimmy Carter, was the first VP to call it home in 1977.

George H.W. Bush followed in 1981, succeeded by Dan Quayle in 1989, Al Gore in 1993, Dick Cheney in 2001, Joe Biden in 2009, and Pence in 2017.

Here's a look inside the historic residence.

Moonrise, Moonset

As Earth orbits the Sun, the Moon orbits Earth. [“Earth, Moon and Sun system” by Siyavula Education , flickr commons is licensed under CC BY 2.0 ]

As Earth orbits the Sun, the Moon orbits Earth. It takes about 30 days for one complete phase change (actually 29 ¹ / ₂days). Compare this to how long it takes Earth to orbit the Sun one time: 365.24 days. Consider our word, “month”, with its roots from the term moonth. As the Moon orbits Earth, its moonrise and moonset times change each day, as does the phase of the Moon we see.

Naval Observatory Moon

When you check moonrise time over several days or a period of time, you will notice that the Moon rises later each day. That is because the Moon is orbiting Earth. The difference each day is fairly consistent, but has several variables like your latitude. The time of day that the Moon rises or sets depends on its phase.

If you consider why we see the Moon go through its phases, the time of day when the Moon rises or sets should make sense. The phase of the Moon we see depends on the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun relative to each other. So, when the Moon is full, the Earth is between the Moon and Sun; the Sun is setting and the Full Moon is rising. ⁽¹⁾

Moon Phase versus Moonrise and Moonset Times

Us Naval Observatory Moonrise Times