Astronomy questions regarding the moon phases, superior planets, and hypothetical situations!?

Question by flipit54: Astronomy questions regarding the moon phases, superior planets, and hypothetical situations!?
Any experts on Astronomy? I'm having a really tough time with my homework. My textbook is not helping me at all!

1) What time does the waxing gibbous moon rise? Your choices are noon, 3pm, sunset, 9pm
2) What time does the last quarter moon set? Your choices are sunrise, noon, sunset or midnight.
3) What phases of the superior planets can we see from earth?
4) In an alternate solar system, assume the moon goes around the Earth CLOCKWISE while the earth still goes around the sun counter-clockwise. Is the synodic month shorter than, equal to, or longer than the sidereal month in this setup?
5) Annular eclipses of the Sun occur when the angular size of the moon is smaller than the angular size of the Sun. When will it be easiest, considering the distances between Earth-Moon and Earth-Sun, an annular eclipse rather than a total eclipse to occur?

Any help would be appreciated, I've completed most of my packet but these problems are leaving me up after four hours of work!


Best answer:
Answer by StarryskyFirst quarter rises at noon (six hours or a quarter day after the sun)
Full moon rises when sun sets because it is on opposite side of Earth from sun.
Waxing (growing) gibbous moon is anywhere between first quarter and full phases.
Now you know the answer to #1
Last quarter moon is 6 hours (a quarter day) ahead of the sun, just as first quarter was a quarter day behind the sun. Now you know the answer to #2
When we look at superior planets, those with orbits larger than Earth's orbit, those are Mars and beyond. We can see them when opposite the sun (midnight). Then they are illuminated how much? Superior planets orbit the Sun, part way around then how illuminated? Or farther around? But since they are farther from the Sun than Earth, they can never be between Earth and Sun. They can be on other side of sun and appear in daylight sky (if the air was not so bright or there was a total solar eclipse or you were on the Space Station). Then how would they be illuminated? If you are unsure still, set out a bare light bulb and have another person walk around it. Now you know answer to #3.
I think you know how to set up demonstration for #4 to find the answer. Look up the definitions of the synodic and sidereal months and see how they work with revolution of the moon around the Earth and the revolution of the Earth around the Sun in combination. See how the moon appears against the fixed star background (the wallpaper) as your marble moon goes around the baseball Earth as it goes around the lightbulb Sun.
Number 5 is a bit harder since you must look up the terms annular and total eclipses. Then you can take a piece of

Total Solar Eclipse | Solar Eclipse Information