Unit 2 Test will be on the 25th for Block 2+3 and the 28th for 1+4.
The two labs about the moon and the lab about shadows are due on the 23rd.
TestWizard.com review tests will be put up on Sunday the 20th.
All posts by Swan
Moon Review
Look at the below links to help learn about the moon’s motions through space. Review this by tomorrow.
- Moon’s rotation and revolution review video
- Video and animation describing the differences between the amount of days for one revolution (sidereal month 27 days) and the amount of days between new moon phases (lunar month 29.5 days).
- Moon phase simulator showing a 2D top down perspective that can be rotated to an Earth perspective.
Homefun questions to be considered from the moon phase simulator link are below.
- Turn on steps 3, 4, 5,and 6.
- (Top Down View) Notice that the same half of the moon is always getting light from the sun as you revolve it around the Earth.
- (Earth View) Notice that the section of the moon that is visible to Earth shows only some of the light from the sun depending on the angle. This causes the phases.
- Learn the moon phases along with what they look like from a top down view.
Sun Path Quiz This Week
Sun Path Quiz:
Thursday for Block 1 + 4
Friday for Block 2 + 3
Sun Path Lab due by Thursday as well.
Google Doodle Foucault’s Pendulum
An animated Foucault’s Pendulum that allows you to change the latitude and time of day to see how that affects the speed in which it can complete a full 360 degrees.
Light Pollution/Earth at Night
The Earth at night shows a lot of light pollution: Removed because of government shutdown…I’m not kidding.
Scale of the Universe
Flash Game on Scale of the Universe: http://scaleofuniverse.com/
Sun Path Website
Sun Path Website Questions
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/animations/sunmotions.swf
Pre-Assignment things to do.
- Unclick the “show the ecliptic” option.
- The sun follows yellow line (Sun path).
- Unclick “show the underside of celestial sphere”
- Question 13 counts for 5x the amount of points as the other questions. Take some time and make it good.
Questions:
- Play the animation for a few days. When the sun goes below the horizon is it turning off like a light switch, shining on the other side of the world, or being pulled away by Apollo’s chariot?
- Is the “other side” of the world getting sunshine when the sun goes below the horizon?
- How does the person’s shadow change in length and direction from sunrise to midday to sunset?
- Set the date to March 21st. This is the equinox. Where does the sun rise and set exactly?
- Move the latitude up and down. Does the sun always rise and set at the same locations?
- Set the date to September 23rd. This is the other equinox date. What are the similarities to the other equinox date?
- Figure out how many hours of daylight occur at the equinox at any latitude (it will not matter which latitude you pick).
- Change the latitude to 42 degrees North (Where we are located). Drag the date back and forth and see how the sun path changes in altitude and length. Explain how it changes.
- Is the sun in the Northern part of the Sky or the Southern part of the sky at 42 degrees North? How about at 42 degrees South?
- Change the latitude to the equator. What do you notice about the angle of sun paths?
- Change the latitude to the North Pole and South Pole. What do you notice about the angle of sun paths?
- Put the latitude to the North Pole if you had it on the South Pole. What is different about the cardinal directions and why?
- Make up your own question and answer about sun paths that shows a high amount of knowledge and understanding. The question should not ask for an answer that can only be obtained by using the website simulator, extremely vague, or extremely basic.
Mr. Swan’s Earth Science Website
Click on the above pages for information on what is going on in class.