The Moon Project: Topic 1 – Compass Direction to the Moon MP–1 The Moon by Mary Barrett1 The Moon is really just one size The light grows larger every day It always stays the same, Exactly as it ought'er, But here on Earth before our eyes, But logic tells us we must say We see it wax and wane. What looks like half is quarter. The new moon we don't see at all, And then there's gibbous on its way But then there is a sliver, To full, the brightest face, The crescent moon is what we call Then swiftly it begins to wane This slice that makes us quiver. 'Til gone without a trace. These changes happen every night; Each month we see each phase The moon intrigues us with its light It truly does amaze. Dear God, It is great the way you always get the stars in the right place. Why can't you do that with the moon? Jeff (a young child) Organization of the Moon Project (Worth a total of 75 points) Part of Project Point Value Specific Requirements are on… Observations and Graph 25 points MP–2 through MP–3 Written Paper and illustrations 40 points MP–4 Your review of a classmate’s paper 10 points MP–4 through MP-6 Information, Tables, and Graphs Where to find them Tables in which to record your observations MP–7 through MP–12 Graph for you to complete MP–13 through MP–14 Tables of moon facts MP–15 through MP–19 1 Mary Barrett is a school teacher in Berkeley, CA. This poem appeared in the Fall/Winter 1999 GeminiS Network News. If you plan to teach elementary or junior high school, check out all the wonderful GeminiS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) K–8 teacher’s guides in math and science at http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/gems/gems.html.MP–2 The Moon Project: Topic #1– Compass Direction to the Moon Purpose: This assignment is designed to give you the opportunity to… • become intimately familiar with the various changes that the moon goes through each month and season. • conduct a genuine scientific research project: to make systematic accurate observations and to use those observations to derive scientific conclusions WITHOUT “looking it up” somewhere. • write a clear, complete, well-illustrated scientific paper that uses evidence and sound logical reasoning to reach a conclusion. Question to Answer: Which way does the Moon revolve around Earth? Yes, you can look this up in your textbook, online, or in many other sources. The answer is well known. Your job is to prove it, using particular types of observations and a bit of logic. Observations to Make for Topic #1 Where to Make Your Observations: The best place to make your observations is a large open area such as a sports field or parking lot, but anyplace where you can see the moon will do. Required Number of Observations: You must observe the moon at least 20 times. Your observations should be made in sets of several days in a row; all observations in any particular set should be made at the same time of day (give or take half an hour). BEGIN YOUR OBSERVATIONS IMMEDIATELY! The sooner you start, the easier it will be. If you have trouble at first, keep trying; it gets easier. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what your observations mean; that’s normal. No scientist ever fully understands his/her observations until s/he has had a chance to analyze a large set of them. Let yourself wonder and not know. Keep making careful observations and keep asking yourself what they are trying to tell you. The answer will come. It may slowly dawn on you or it may suddenly flash into your mind after weeks of frustration. But, if you keep trying, it will definitely come. Here’s a hint: Why do you suppose I am requiring you to make all of your observations in a particular set at the same time of day? Suggested Times of Observations: Be sure to make each observation when the moon is out. Moonrise and moonset times vary greatly. Use the “Moon Facts” tables to figure out when the moon will be out during the day. Note that you do NOT have to make your observations at night; the moon is often out during the day. Data to Record: Record your data in the given tables. The first entry has been completed for you to serve as an example. 1. Record the date and time of each observation. Be sure to include a.m. or p.m. as appropriate. 2. Under “Sketch of Moon,” sketch the moon the way you see it in the sky by blackening the part of the moon that you can NOT see; leave the visible part of the moon white. Be sure to clearly show how the visible portion is “tilted” relative to the horizon (On the data table, imagine the horizon as a horizontal line on the bottom of the page.). 3. Under “Location of Moon,” draw and label the moon (and the sun, if it is up) on the “Celestial Hemisphere” diagram provided. To understand what this diagram is showing, imagine yourself (represented by the stick figure) standing in a large, open field. The sky looks like a huge inverted bowl. The moon, sun, planets and stars look like objects that are moving on the inside surface ofThe Moon Project: Topic #1– Compass Direction to the Moon MP–3 this bowl. The sun and moon follow approximately the same path across the sky each day; that path (called the ecliptic) is shown on the diagram as a gray arc that goes from east to west. The moon and sun (if they are up) should plot somewhere near that arc. 4. Using your compass, measure the compass direction (azimuth) of the Moon. Note that 0° is straight north; 90° is straight east, 180° is straight south, and 270° is straight west. Source of diagram: http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/CS/CS.05.html 5. If it is cloudy out or if you forget to look, make a note of that, but do not sketch the moon unless you actually observe it and do not record any observations that you have not personally made of the real sky (the internet is NOT the real sky). The worst sin that a scientist can commit is to falsify data. Do not commit this sin! Don't laugh–students try it every semester and end up being very disappointed in their moon project grades. 6. Record your observations as neatly as possible. But neatness is much less important than honesty, thoroughness, accuracy and usefulness. For an example of an observation table made by the great scientist, Galileo, see Figure 21.15 on p. 609 in your textbook. What to Graph: On the blank graph provided below, (1) plot a point showing the compass direction (azimuth) of the moon for