Name(s): Date: Course/Section: Grade: Introduction to Active Learning: The Night Sky Learning Objectives: Students will learn how to work within their assigned teams to complete surveys and experiments that introduce active learning concepts that will be applied in later labs. Checklist: Complete the pre- lab quiz with your team (if required). Compile a list of resources you expect to use in the lab. Work with your team to complete the lab exercises and activities. Record your results. Share and discuss your results with the rest of the class. Determine if your team s answers are reasonable. Submit an observation request for next week (if required). Introduction: Mechanics of Team Learning Record the names of each team member and which role they will take in the group.
Part 1: Trivia Quiz Record your team s answers, and give any reasons/facts you used to help make your guesses. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 1: Exploring Astronomical Topics 1. With your group members, write down three questions that interest you or that you believe astronomy is capable of answering. 2. Chose a question from the list on the lab website. Using the Internet, research it. Write a brief summary answering the question to the best of your ability.
Part 2: The Celestial Sphere Label the Celestial Equator, Earth s Equator, the North and South Celestial Pole, the ecliptic, the position of Polaris, and Earth s rotation axis. Mark on the diagram where the summer and winter solstice and the autumnal and vernal equinox occur. 1. What angle is the ecliptic inclined with respect to the celestial equator? 2. What celestial objects lay on or near the ecliptic? (Name at least 5)
The Celestial Sphere: Local Viewpoint Assume the diagram below is for Iowa City, IA, which is at a latitude of 41.6 deg.(~42deg). Identify the North Celestial Pole (NCP), Celestial Equator, zenith, the meridian, and the horizon. Then, draw where Polaris is. Angle Between NCP and Horizon (deg) Angle Between NCP and Celestial Equator (deg) Angle Between Zenith and NCP (deg) Angle Between Celestial Equator and Horizon (deg) Angle Between Celestial Equator and Zenith (deg)
Think about the ecliptic and how it relates to the celestial equator to answer these questions. 1. For Iowa City, what is the elevation of the Sun at noon, on June 21 st? Mark it on the diagram above. 2. What is the Sun s elevation at noon on the Vernal Equinox? Mark it on the diagram above. Part 3: Moon Phases Label the moon phases in the image below and mark what order they appear in starting with the New Moon as '1'. It may be helpful to draw the sunlight direction for reference.
Using the phases above, label the positions of each phase in the diagram below. The moon's orbit is counter clockwise in this image. Materials reproduced from the Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Web Site (http://astro.unl.edu). Telling Time with the Moon Phases Fill in the table below and then check your answers using the Moon Phases demo on the website. Moon Phase New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous Third Quarter Waning Crescent Rising Time Meridian Transit Time 12 pm 12 am Setting Time
1. You see a waning gibbous moon rising, what time of day is it? 2. You see a third quarter moon setting, what time of day is it? 3. If it were 3 pm, what moon phase is directly above you (transiting the meridian)? 4. If it were 3 am, what moon phase would you see setting? 5. If today is a full moon, what will the moon phase be in two weeks?