Transcript Frostburg State Planetarium presents

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Frostburg State Planetarium
presents
Summer 2014 Sky Sights for
Primary Grades & Beginners
by Dr. Bob Doyle
Next Version: October 2014
Big Topics Treated
• Horizon, Finding directions, Sunrise/Sunset
• How Day Sky Works, Twilight AM & PM
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Moon basics, Made of what? Lady in moon?
Bright points at night? Summer 2014 Planets
Best Stars & Groups Seen on Summer Evenings
3 Built in Mini Quizzes with answers supplied
Summer ‘14 Moon Schedule, Planet Table
Planetarium Schedule for Sept.-Dec. 2014
Horizon & Directions
• When looking at sky, we may view ½ of universe!
• The Horizon is line between ground and sky.
• 4 directions along horizon – North, East, South &
West. To learn, say Never Eat Salty Worms!
• North is direction your shadow points in mid day.
• East is about where sun rises each morning.
• South is where sun is highest in sky (in mid day)
• West is about where sun sets in late afternoon.
Why does Sun Rise & Set?
• For thousands of years, humans believed that sun
& sky objects moved about Earth every day!
• In the 1500’s, Copernicus proposed that the Earth
itself was moving, not the sky objects!
• Copernicus wrote that the Earth was spinning
every day and orbiting the sun every year!
• It took over a century until most were convinced
that Copernicus was correct (thanks to Newton).
• The Earth spins so the sun seems to rise and set.
Let’s review these ideas
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What is the line between ground & sky?
Is it Ground line? Horizon? Edge of sky?
In what direction are shadows in mid day?
Is it
North? East? South? or West?
Why does sun seem to rise and set?
Because Sun is moving? Earth is spinning?
Write down your answers for these questions.
Answers are: Horizon, North & Earth is spinning
How Day Sky Works
• Sun, our day star is so bright that it lights up
air, causing it to glow blue on a clear day.
• As Earth turns, sun seems to rise in morning
• Due to our turning, sun slowly rolls right.
• Sun peaks about 1 pm in July, Aug. & Sept.
• Sun sets near direction West as we turn.
• To find North, face where sun goes down
and extend your right arm out, points North.
Twilight or Dusk?
• When sun disappears from our view, the air
overhead is still ‘seeing’ sun and glowing.
• As we turn more away from sun, only very thin,
very high air still lit & sky gets darker.
• This time is twilight or dusk, lasts an hour.
• During dusk, bright planets, stars show 1st.
• By end of dusk, bright star groups seen.
• Just as dusk after sunset, dawn before sunrise.
What about Moon?
• Our moon is a ball of rock that orbits Earth.
• Moon ¼ as big as Earth; if Earth a regular globe
(1 ft.wide), moon is a tennis ball.
• If Earth is regular globe, moon is 30 ft.away
• As moon orbits us, we see day & night sides
• In evening, lighted side ‘grows’ for 12 days
• Then moon is full, shining all thru the night
• Then in morning sky, moon ‘shrinks’ for 12 days
• Moon’s lighted shapes change as we see its lighted
side and its dark side blends in with the night sky
Just a little bit more about Moon
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The moon NOT a big cheese ball! (Sorry!)
Man/lady/rabbit in moon due to dark plains
Dark plains of hard lava, good to land there
Over 40 yrs. ago, 1st men walked on moon
Perhaps in 2020’s, manned fly arounds
U.S. & European rockets can’t carry people,
new rockets needed, China or Russia to try
Another review of ideas..
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As you face sunset, what points North?
Back of Head? Right arm (out)? Left ear?
If Earth 1 ft. wide, how far away is moon?
Is it 10 feet? 30 feet? 100 feet? 300 feet?
How long does moon ‘grow’ or ‘shrink’?
Is it A week? A dozen days? A month?
Write down your answers to above 3 questions.
Answers: Right arm (out), 30 feet, Dozen days
Bright steady points at night?
• Even the nearest planets appear as * (points) as we
see them with our eyes; for even these objects
very far away (moon=1 unit). Venus 100x farther.
• To tell a planet from a star, all night stars twinkle
and planets usually shine steady.
• Also satellites (especially Space Station) shine
steadily as creep eastward across sky
• Night stars are distant suns, really, really far away
compared to our planet neighbors.
• If Earth penny size, moon 22” away, sun 730 ft.
away (6.3 ft. wide), nearest star is 37,000 mi.away
Easy Summer 2014 Planets
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July, Aug., Saturn & Mars low in SW Dusk
End of Aug. & Sept., Saturn, Mars & Moon close
Brilliant Venus low in E dawn, slowly dropping
In mid-August, Jupiter & Venus line up in E dawn
Jupiter takes over as easiest morning planet to see
Best planets to see in summer ’14
Venus at dawn
in early summer
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Jupiter at dawn
in September
Venus
Jupiter
SE
East
Summer 2014 Moon Table
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Early July: ½ Evening Moon on 7/5
Mid July: Full Moon on 7/12
Late July: ½ Morning Moon on 7/19 in S. Dawn
Early Aug.: ½ Evening Moon on 8/3
Mid Aug.: Full Moon on 8/10
Late Aug.: ½ Morning Moon on 8/17 in S. Dawn
Sep.: ½ Evening Moon on 9/2, 9/8 Full (Harvest Moon)
, 9/16 ½ Morning Moon, Crescent at Dusk after 9/27
When evening moon looks like a ‘D’,
the sun is rising along left edge,
lighting up the crater rims and mountains.
This ‘D’ moon allows you to see craters
& mountains with binoculars held steadily
or with a small telescope on tripod (better).
A week after the moon is full, you can see it
In the morning day sky, as a backwards ‘D’.
Even during the morning hours, you can see
the craters & mountains on moon with binoculars
or a small telescope. Never look at SUN!
•Easy Summer Stars & Groups
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Evening: Big Dipper to left of North Star
2 lowest Dipper stars point rightward to N. Star
Follow Dipper handle outward to golden Arcturus
Beyond Arcturus in South is white-blue Spica
To left of Spica (twinkles) is Saturn(shines steady)
Low South - Scorpius (‘J’) & Sagittarius (Tea pot)
Bright Vega is top star of Summer Triangle
B. Dipper & N. * on
Summer Evenings
North Star
Pointers
Big Dipper’s handle
arcs to golden * Arcturus
Arcturus
Summer Triangle on
Summer Evenings
Vega
Vega
Vega
Facing E,
early summer
Facing S,
Mid
summer
Facing W,
Late
summer
Sagittarius & Scorpion low in South
on summer evenings
See “Tea Pot”
and letter “J”
Let’s review once more…
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How to tell a planet from a star?
Planet always brighter Planet shines steady
Best Evening Planets – summer of 2014?
(Mars, Saturn) (Venus, Jupiter)
What part of Big Dipper points to N.Star?
End of Scoop or Arch of Dipper’s Handle
Write down your answers
Answers: Pl. steady, Mars & Saturn, Scoop
Frequently asked questions
• What are falling stars? (Aka shooting stars)
• Nearly all are pea sized space grit burning up in
our upper atmosphere. Only dust left.
• Can the planets line up like beads on string?
• No, orbits are tilted but even if they could, pull is
extremely weak, compared to moon.
• What keeps stars, planets floating in sky?
• There’s no up/down in space. Earth floats too!
Science Sunday Presentations
Sundays, 4 pm & 7pm in MLC
in the CCIT building
• September “Dark of the Moon”
• October “Too Hot, Just Right & Frozen”
November “Life Among the Giants?”
December “The Holy Land in the 1st Century”
Each program followed by a tour of the Science
Discovery Center – about 200 animals displayed
Send any additional questions
to….
• Bob Doyle email [email protected]
• Be sure that questions involve basics about sky,
moon, planets and stars
• For questions about satellites, meteors – come to
Sunday shows & talk to Dr. Doyle
• Free tours of Science Discovery Center on
Sundays following Planetarium Programs
• Call (301) 687-7799 request free bookmark, map,
schedule be sent to you thru mail
Ways FSU serves Tri-State area
• Sky shows using iPad & Projector in school room
• Special Science Discovery Center tours for
school classes, clubs, scouts – call (301) 687-4120
THE END
• This Power Point Presentation is revised
every 3 months to keep it current.
• You have seen the summer (Jly-Spt.) issue
• Next is the fall (Oct. – Dec.) issue
• Then the winter (Jan.-Mar.) issue
• Lastly the spring (Apr.-June) issue
• Find it the teacher’s resource section for the
FSU Planetarium (also known as MLC)