8th Grade Science 8.2 Cosmology Presearch SS2: Cycles of the Moon...and as I lay recalling the lessons of the day, suddenly the moon looked down over the canyon wall, her face filled with eager concern, which had a startling effect, like a person entering one s bedroom. It was hard to realize that she was in her place in the sky, and was looking abroad on half the globe, land and sea, mountains, plains, lakes, rivers oceans, ships, cities with their myriads of inhabitants sleeping and waking, sick and well. No, she seemed to be just on the rim of Bloody Canyon, and looking only at me. Theme: Cycles John Muir My First Summer in the Sierra Objectives: 1) Identify and distinguish the phases of the Moon. 2) Construct and use a Moon finder to predict lunar cycles. 3) Explain the Moon s influence on ocean tides. 4) Explain how eclipses of the Moon occur. Primary Questions: 1) What are the Moon s phases, and why do they occur? 2) What influence does the Moon have on Earth s ocean tides? 3) Under what circumstances do eclipses of the Moon occur? (over)
Presearch: Compose a diagram to explain how lunar eclipses occur. This work should be done in your Cosmology journal. Construct a Moon Finder. Instructions will be furnished in class. Reading: Read Lunacy from The Planets by Dava Sobel (attached) Writing prompts to follow. Vocabulary: Define each of the following as they apply to studies of the Moon. This work should be completed in your Science journal. Include etymologies where possible. waxing gibbous lunation perigee spring tide waning crescent syzygy apogee neap tide
8th Grade Science Using the Moon Finder Your Moon Finder has three basic parts: - an inner disk representing the horizon - a middle disk showing the Moon s phases - an outer disk representing the calendar days Manipulation of the three disks will enable you to determine the timing of the Moon s phases through the course of the month, as well as calculate the Moon s rise and set times for any day you choose. Your first task is to set the Moon Finder to today s phase. You ll need to know the present phase to do this. Rotate the calendar disk so that today s date matches the phase of the Moon as it appears today. Next, attach a large paperclip to the edge of the Moon Finder so that the calendar ring doesn t slip out of alignment with the phase drawings; the paperclip will serve as a brake while you use the tool for your calculations and predictions. The calendar ring is now oriented so that the Moon s phase can be found for any date of the present month. The phases are illustrated in the drawings that match the dates around the outer ring. Having aligned the dates and phases, you can now perform some predictions for the Moon s position in the sky. Start by rotating the horizon disk so that today s Moon phase is on the eastern horizon. The time indicator will be pointing at the approximate hour of today s Moon rise. Next, rotate the horizon disk to place today s Moon in the south. The time indicator will now be pointing to the approximate hour of the moon s transit, or its highest point in the sky. Rotating the horizon disk to
place today s Moon on the western horizon will set the time indicator to the approximate hour of today s moonset. Assuming you ve kept the brake set on the calendar disk, similar predictions for the Moon s rise, transit and set times can be made for any day of the month. To make these predictions, set the date desired at the proper orientations to the horizon disk: eastern horizon to predict rise times, south horizon for transit times, and western horizon for set times. The prompts below will give you some practice in using your Moon Finder, and allow you to start developing an ephemeris for the Moon s motions over time. Compose written responses for the prompts, and attach your work to this cover for turn-in.
Prompts for Using the Moon Finder 1) What is the phase of today s Moon? 2) How many days into the present lunation is today s Moon? 3) Determine the rise, transit and set times for today s Moon. 4) How many days into its lunation will the Moon be on the seventeenth of this month? In what phase will the Moon be in at that time? 5) Determine the Moon s rise, transit and set times for the seventeenth of this month. 6) How do you think your responses for 4 & 5 would compare to results for the seventeenth of next month? Explain you thoughts and reasoning. 7) Determine the dates for this month s new, first quarter, full, and third quarter moons. Next, determine the Moon s rise, transit, and set times for each of these dates. What patterns can you find in these times over the course of the month? 8) Let s assume the Moon rises today at 3 am. In what phase would the Moon be? 9) We need to do our stargazing on an evening when the Moon is out of the way. Would the 17th of this month be suitable? 10) What dates for this month might be suitable for stargazing in the predawn hours? Explain. 11) Let s assume today s date is the 23rd, and that the Moon transits at 4 pm. a) In what phase is the Moon? b) What dates of the month would you pick for stargazing in the evening? c) What dates would you pick for stargazing before dawn?