Observational Astronomy
You can do a great deal of astronomy without the aid of a
telescope, in fact many famous astronomers worked without telescopes. This lab
(which you should begin at the beginning of the semester) we will learn about
the Moon and Sun and the just by looking up at the right time.
80 points
total
Part One Observing The Sun.
DO NOT
LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!!!
If you really want to look at the sun get some of these
Find a place where you have a good view of the western horizon
were there are still a few features on the horizon for you to note. (The beach
will NOT work for this). WITHOUT LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE SUN estimate where the Sun is going to set
relative to a feature (tree, building etc.) on the horizon and Draw it in the
box labeled week 1. Note the Date and
time the sun set (when the bottom of the sun touched the horizon) One again DON’T LOOK AT THE SUN… estimate. Return
to that exact same spot for three more weeks (give or take) and estimate where
the sun is setting relative to your tree or building and note the date and
time. Once your observations are complete (Worth
20 points) answer the following questions in a separate document that you
can submit to the drop box.
What did you notice about how the position of
sunset was changing? (5 points)
Why was it changing? (5 points)
How might the changing of the position of the sunset
relate to the seasons? (5 points)
How might the changing of the position of the sunset
relate to the passage of a year? (5 points)
Given your answer to #4 would you need to know the
Earth was going around the Sun to keep track of the passage of a year? (5
points)
Week 1
Date________________
Time _______________
Week 2
Date________________
Time _______________
Week 3
Date________________
Time _______________
Week 4
Date________________
Time _______________
Part 2 Observing the Moon
Go to this web site
http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml
and find a day with a waxing crescent Moon (just a sliver of
it lit on the right side) that you can observe. You’ll need a place where you
can see the western sky (for this the beach will work just fine).
Get to your spot right after sunset you’ll see the
Moon right on the horizon. Make a drawing of the Moon relative to the horizon
and note the Date and time beside your drawing of the Moon. Make sure your drawing includes how much of
the Moon is lit and about how far it is off the horizon. (5 points)
Return to the same place two or three days later at the same time and draw the Moon
again on the same drawing and label the Moon with the time and date. (5 points)
Return to the same place two or three days later at the same time and draw the Moon
again on the same drawing and label the Moon with the time and date. (5 points)
So In the end you’ll have one drawing of the Moon on three
different nights from the same place. Once you have your drawings answer the
following questions in the same document you answered the Sun questions in.
How did the Moon’s distance from the horizon
change from one observation to the next? (5 points)
How did the lit portion of the
Moon change from one observation to the next? (5 points)
From our point of view is the
Moon moving around the Earth east to west or west to east? (5 points)
Based on your observations is the
Moon setting later or sooner as the month goes by? (5 points)
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