ASTR 330 Term Project: Phases of the Moon - Moon Observation Analysis, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Astronomy

Download ASTR 330 Term Project: Phases of the Moon - Moon Observation Analysis and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Astronomy in PDF only on Docsity! ASTR 330 Term Project Questions PHASES OF THE MOON Date Due: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 Name: Please read the University of Maryland Honor Pledge below, then sign your name and date your signature. “I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this project.” Signature: Date: Staple all of your moon observations onto this handout. 1 Data Statistics Perform an assessment of your observations by calculating the following quantities. “Clouded Out” days are when you looked for the Moon, but the sky was too cloudy to tell for sure if it was above the horizon. Question # or % Total Number of Days of Possible Observations Percentage: Clouded Out Percentage: Not Cloudy, But Moon Not Seen Percentage: Moon Observed Percentage: No Observation Recorded When did you observe the Moon? Taking into account the times when you could have or did see the Moon (the “not cloudy” and “moon observed” categories above), calculate the percentage of times your observations were made during each time of day for all observations first, and then successful observations (when the Moon was actually seen). Time Period % of All Observations % of Successful Observations Midnight - 6AM 6AM - Noon Noon - 6PM 6PM - Midnight 1 2 Environmental Factors In the space below, name and describe the horizon of the typical location from which you made your observations. In which directions were there tall buildings or trees? Approximately what fraction of the distance to the zenith did they extend to? How do you think weather patterns affected your observations? Obviously if it was cloudy you couldn’t see the Moon. However, was it detrimental to just have one day clouded out? How much worse was it to have a number of cloudy days in a row? Comment on the effect you think this has had on your prediction of the next full Moon (which you will give in the next section.) Did you successfully observe the Moon at all during the daytime? Was this difficult to do? Describe your experience. 2