Exploring the Phases of the Moon: A Hands-On Astronomy Tutorial, Study notes of Astronomy

Download Exploring the Phases of the Moon: A Hands-On Astronomy Tutorial and more Study notes Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! ASTR 310 Tutorial 2: Phases of the Moon Every month, the Moon appears to change shape in the sky as it goes through phases from new Moon to full Moon and then back to new. Ancient civilizations used the phases of the Moon to track the passage of time. Today’s Gregorian calendar no longer depends on the phases of the Moon but the Islamic, Hebrew and Chinese cultures still base festivals and holy days on the cycles of the Moon. The more you understand the nature of the Moon’s phases, the more you can appreciate how astronomy influences our culture and the better you’ll be able to predict when important events like Ramadan, Hannukah, Easter and Lunar New Year will occur. In this tutorial, you will explore the changing geometry of the Sun- Earth-Moon system that produces each phase of the Moon, and then the connection between the geometry and the time of day the Moon rises and sets. Materials Each group of 3 partners needs a (small) Moon ball and a (big) Earth ball. Astronomy 310 Tutorial 2 Phases of the Moon Version 110127 Page 1 P ar t 1: P h as es of th e M o on Im ag in e yo u r h ea d is th e E ar th . W h en it ’s yo u r tu rn , st an d in th e “s u n li gh t” an d h ol d th e M o o n st ra ig h t o u t a t a rm ’s le n g th . B e su re th e N E A R si d e is al w ay s fa ci n g to w ar d s yo u . S p in ar ou n d sl ow ly to yo u r le ft an d w at ch th e M o on g o th ro u g h p h a se s. T ak e tu rn s h ol d in g th e M o on in th e su n li gh t to fi n d th e ge om et ry of th e S u n , E ar th an d M o o n th a t cr ea te th es e p h a se s. B el ow ea ch p ic tu re , sk e tc h th e g e o m e tr y o f th e S u n , E a rt h a n d M o o n as se en fr om ab ov e. T ry to in d ic at e th e il lu m in a te d h a lv es o f th e E a rt h a n d M o o n . P a rt n e r 1 P a rt n e r 2 P a rt n e r 3 fi rs t q u ar te r M o on th ir d q u ar te r M o on w a n in g g ib b o u s M o o n fu ll M o on w ax in g cr es ce n t M o on n ew M o o n Astronomy 310 Tutorial 2 Phases of the Moon Version 110127 Page 2 Everyone switch jobs Earth Moon Recorder Partner 2 Partner 3 Partner 1 13 Hold the Earth straight up-and- down in the “sunlight”. When you rotate the Earth, remember it always rotates to the East. Hold the Moon about an arm’s length from Earth and make one slow orbit around Earth. Be sure the NEAR side of the Moon is al- ways facing towards the Earth. Watch the Moon and help your partner keep the NEAR side fac- ing towards the Earth. Then record the times below. 14 Move to a waxing gibbous Moon. 15 Rotate the Earth until moonrise. Help find the observer’s local time. Waxing gibbous Moon rises at Rotate the Earth until moonset. Waxing gibbous Moon sets at 16 Move to a waning gibbous Moon. 17 Rotate the Earth until moonrise. Help find the observer’s local time. Waning gibbous Moon rises at Rotate the Earth until moonset. Waning gibbous Moon sets at 18 Move to the waning crescent Moon. 19 Rotate the Earth until moonrise. Help find the observer’s local time. Waning crescent Moon rises at Rotate the Earth until moonset. Waning crescent Moon sets at When you’ve completed all the Moon phases, ask your TA for Part 4: Questions Astronomy 310 Tutorial 2 Phases of the Moon Version 110127 Page 5 Name ID No. Tutorial Day/Time Part 4: Questions Please hand in this worksheet when you are finished. 1. The calendar on the back of this page shows the phase of the Moon for every day of the year. Find and highlight today’s date. What is the phase of the Moon today? Draw a diagram showing the geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon today. What time is it right now? Mark your location on the Earth in your diagram. If you go outside right now and the sky is clear, can you see the Moon? You can never see the Moon during the day. No, the Moon is below the horizon. Yes, the Moon is up. 2. Let’s assume that any time between moonrise and moonset, the Moon is visible. In other words, we won’t worry about buildings, trees or clouds that block our view. In Part 3 of the tutorial, you found the times when a certain Moon phase is visible. In this question, you find the phases visible at a certain time of day. For each phase of the Moon in this list, check “Yes” if the Moon is visible at 1 a.m. or “No” if it’s not. Phase of Moon visible at 1 a.m.? the Moon Yes No new Moon waxing crescent first quarter waxing gibbous full Moon waning gibbous third quarter waning crescent 3. You and your friends want to paint stars on the big Engineering E on the Main Mall. You’re planning on doing it next month at 1 a.m. on a night with no moonlight. Circle the dates on the calendar on the back of this page that are good for your evil plan. Which do you think is the best? Explain your reasoning. 4. Look back at the geometry of the full Moon, when the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up. A “lunar eclipse” occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. Why don’t we have a lunar eclipse every month? Astronomy 310 Tutorial 2 Phases of the Moon Version 110127 Page 6 fe P 0 [tt 2 3 4 [1S 6 7 [1S 9 BO BI pz Bs 26 27 28 29 BO BI " SESE EPPEEPCOOCOUOOOOuGeeeee “PPE EEEEECCCCCOOGGd0nGe a ‘“' SERRE EEEREEEERPCOCOOCOOCOOOOURCEEE “ SE EEEEREEEEEELCOOOCOLOOOOUUEEEE ‘ BEEEEEREEEEECOCCOCOOOOOCUIGEEEeE BEEREEEEEEDDCOCOCOOOOURGEEEEEE * BEEBEERREEDDCOCOOOOOUURCEEREEEe “ EERREEEEREDCCOCOOOOUGGEE EER ~~ A ERPEREEECDCOOCOCOOOOUOUCC eee ““" BEEPHEDPDDODCOOCOOOOWIIGgeee eee “"“ DE EERRDDODOODOCOOOOWOc eee =“ I PRLDOOCOCOGOGGG00e eee eee —