Observe the Moon
Activities for Clear and Cloudy
Nights
Clear night
• Have people look at the moon with eyes
alone and sketch moon with pencil
• Compare image of moon in telescope with
sketch (discuss how image changes with type
of telescope - the Galileoscope will invert
image top/bottom & left/right)
• Ask people to predict how many fingers at
arms length it will take to cover the moon.
(about half a finger - half a degree).
• Count how many fists it takes to go all the
way around one time (three sixty degrees). Is
about 8 to 10 degrees per fist.
General Observing Tips
• It takes about 20 minutes to get good
night vision
• Red lights preserve night vision (e.g.
red cellophane over a flashlight) or red
led rope lights
Scheduling Moon Observing
• Is often best to try to schedule moon
observing near 1st quarter phase
because the Moon is high in the sky by
sunset.
• Full moon rises at sunset so can be
behind trees and buildings when trying
to observe early in evening
Galileoscope
• Needs good tripod - one user recommended
a Sunpak 2001
• Slide eyepiece tube in and out for focus (not
the lens part - the tube)
• For Moon or planets - focus by pulling out
• For stars - focus by pushing in.
• Default is 25x magnification - use Barlow for
more
• Better instructions for construction on their
website (galileoscope.org)
Features
• Tycho crater near bottom of moon great to point out if observing near full
moon.
• Features near terminator line stand out
more distinctly due to shadow.
Maria are the dark areas
http://moontag.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/lets-meetthe-moon/
Highlands are
the light areas
Image source: http://www.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/names-lunar-maria
Rilles
• Furrows
or ridges
or
trenches
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021029.html
Observing Help
• http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/o
bjects/moon/
• Galileo’s Classroom Chapters 2 and 3.
http://www.uwyo.edu/caper/info.asp?p=16091
• Galileoscope site.
https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/content/galile
os-classroom
Maps of features 1st Q
• http://www.a
mlunsoc.org
/lunar_maps
.htm
Moon map with major maria
labeled
Venus
• Venus is up in West after sunset in Sept
2010. But not for very long. You should be
able to see the phase of Venus (just like
phases of the Moon) with your Galileoscope if
you can get a good focus and don’t have a lot
of pollution in your Western Sky.
• Nice animation of phases of Venus
(http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060110.html)
Mars
• Also visible in the Western sky - but
pretty dim
Jupiter
• Rises in East - shortly after sunset
• Can see Galilean Moons with
Galileoscope (they look like little stars)
• Use Stellarium to identify which moon is
which.
• Also up before dawn in the Western sky.
Observe the Moon
Activities for Clear and Cloudy
Nights
Cloudy Night
• Try some lunar mapping activities from
http://www.newpaltz.edu/lunarlander/lessons.
html (lunar mapping is available on 9-12 or 58 side)
• Show Apollo 11 40th anniversary video
(http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/apollo11_4
0/)
• Show front and back side of moon
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0to1xZKc
Ogg&feature=PlayList&p=707BEDEA8886E5
1A&index=21 )
Lunar Phase - Activity
• Get some photos of phases of the Moon and
have students put them in the order they think
they go. Go with 6 phases. Make them label 1
to 6.
• Demonstrate phases of the moon - best with
white styrofoam balls - but see this eclip to
see how you would use a lamp and a ball
with a student to show them phases
(http://www.archive.org/details/NASA_Scienc
e_Earth_Clip42_HD)
• More movies explaining phases of the Moon
http://www.noao.edu/education/phases/phase
s_demo.html
Lunar Exploration Future
• Hardshell vs. inflatable and launch costs for
supplies in this NASA eclip called Lunar
Habitat - Structure
(http://www.archive.org/details/Lunar_HabitatStructure)
• Have students compare potential sites for a
lunar outpost
(http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/LR
O/activities/mission_moon/index.shtml )
What If?
• What if the Moon didn’t exist?
• http://www.astrosociety.org/education/p
ublications/tnl/33/33.html
• (warning - this was written with tides
misconception uncorrected)
• Shorter day
• Windy
• Ocean tides reduced - may affect life
Tides
• Misconception: Tides are primarily caused by the
differential gravitational forces on each side of Earth.
• Proper conception: Tides are secondarily caused by
above and are primarily caused by motion of Earth
(and inertia of oceans) around center of mass of
Earth-Moon system. (http://www.coops.nos.noaa.gov/restles3.html). NOAA refers to this
as a centrifugal force caused by the monthly motion
of the Earth around the center of mass - but it is
better to introduce to beginners in Physics as inertia or an object in motion, staying in motion in the
direction is was going - which distorts the water - due
to the monthly motion of the Earth around the
common center of mass.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Phases
• Cut them out and put in random order
(just pick 6) and put upside down and
sideways too.
Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://www.newpaltz.edu/lunarlander/ - lessons for 5th - 12th grade with
extensive teacher instructional material
http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/education/Activities/ExpMoon/ExpMoon.htm
Thumbnails of moon maps
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/usgs/
Full atlas of moon maps
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/index.shtml
Clickable map of moon and craters and features are all labeled.
(http://www.lunarrepublic.com/atlas/index.shtml )
Videos relating to Lunar Module on YouTube
(http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=707BEDEA8886E51A)
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Educator Resources - great images and
well documented slide shows
(http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/EPO/Educator/teachingaids.php )
Lunar - Planetary Institute Educator Resources
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/resources/s_system/moon.shtml
More Resources
•
•
•
•
Visual calendar of moon phases
(http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/moon )
Details of current phase of moon and other earth and moon maps
(http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html )
Lunar elevation maps (http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/lola/ ) A high school
lab to explain how laser altimetry works is available too
(http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/experimental/all98invProject.Site/Pages
/pingpong.html )
Best images of the moon - available in layers with zoom
(http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc#damoon )
Sample Order for Moon
• Start a few weeks ahead with predict what
moon looks like and order of phases
• Have students observe moon - see times next
page
• After they have had chance to see moon for
themselves and see that it does not always
look the same - then start unit.
• Need to define day/night - motion of Sun
• Compare & contrast moon position in sky to
sun position in sky
• Phases of the Moon activity
(http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/pup/act_
moonphase.html) Emphasize three bodies
needed for phases - not simple interaction geometry. Moon goes around earth such that
person holding moon will rotate with left arm
first (or rotate Counter-Clockwise as seen
from above).
• Time of moon rise/moon set – Remove moon. extend model to define noon,
midnight, sunrise, sunset. Where is east on ‘face’
of the person who is earth? Where is west?
– Have second person hold moon in 1st quarter
moon phase. Second person (earth) needs to
figure out when 1st quarter moon rises. What time
is it highest? What time will it set?
– May help if person who is earth puts hands up as
blinders.
– Also may want to scaffold more for special needs
students by making a cardboard card to wear with
US map on it that has East and West labeled.
Continue with…
• Seasons
• Constellations
• Motions of planets in sky as compared
to constellations and moon
• Location of ecliptic
Performance Task
• What phase of the moon is best for
fishing before sunrise (ignoring tides)?
Justify your answer with diagrams and
models in complete sentences.
Phases Rise Set
1
3
7
10
14
17
21
24
Phase
Rise
Highest
Set
New
Wax
Crescent
First Q
Wax Gibb
Full
Wan Gibb
Third Q
Wan Cres
6am
9am
noon
3pm
6pm
9pm
Noon
3pm
6pm
9pm
Midnight
3am
6pm
9pm
midnight
3am
6am
9am
midnight
3am
6am
9am
noon
3pm