Moon Phases: Lab Observation
Name:___________________ Date:______________
Fall Astronomy 111 Lab:
Material:
* Each student needs a ball * Sun or flashlight * Textbook for reference
Steps:
* Take a ball outside on a sunny day or if it’s dark and cloudy you can use a flashlight instead of the Sun * Put the flashlight on a table a few meters away and shine it toward you. * Hold the ball at arm’s length to represent the Moon while your head represents Earth. * Slowly spin around (counterclockwise) so that the ball goes around you just like the Moon orbits Earth. * As you turn, you’ll see the ball go through phases just like the Moon.
Understanding Questions Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. One to two sentences will not suffice. 1. Write down what your observations as you look at the ball at different positions in its orbit around your head.
The ball goes thru the same phases that the moon would go through. The way I started would be the same as the full moon (the ball is fully lit), then waning Gibbous, then shading to the third quarter moon (part of the ball is half lit) then Waning Crescent, then the new moon phase (ball is fully shadowed) then Waxing Crescent, then the first quarter moon (the ball is half lit) then Waxing Gibbous, and ending back up at the full moon phase.
2. The phases of the ball result from what two basic facts? a. Half the ball always faces the flashlight and therefore is bright, while the other half faces away from the flashlight and therefore is dark b. As the ball orbits around the head, there are different combinations of bright and darks faces visible.
3. How does this relate to lunar phases?
Half the moon is always lit by the sun, but the amount of this lit half that we see depends on the moon’s position in its
Fall Astronomy 111 Lab:
Material:
* Each student needs a ball * Sun or flashlight * Textbook for reference
Steps:
* Take a ball outside on a sunny day or if it’s dark and cloudy you can use a flashlight instead of the Sun * Put the flashlight on a table a few meters away and shine it toward you. * Hold the ball at arm’s length to represent the Moon while your head represents Earth. * Slowly spin around (counterclockwise) so that the ball goes around you just like the Moon orbits Earth. * As you turn, you’ll see the ball go through phases just like the Moon.
Understanding Questions Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. One to two sentences will not suffice. 1. Write down what your observations as you look at the ball at different positions in its orbit around your head.
The ball goes thru the same phases that the moon would go through. The way I started would be the same as the full moon (the ball is fully lit), then waning Gibbous, then shading to the third quarter moon (part of the ball is half lit) then Waning Crescent, then the new moon phase (ball is fully shadowed) then Waxing Crescent, then the first quarter moon (the ball is half lit) then Waxing Gibbous, and ending back up at the full moon phase.
2. The phases of the ball result from what two basic facts? a. Half the ball always faces the flashlight and therefore is bright, while the other half faces away from the flashlight and therefore is dark b. As the ball orbits around the head, there are different combinations of bright and darks faces visible.
3. How does this relate to lunar phases?
Half the moon is always lit by the sun, but the amount of this lit half that we see depends on the moon’s position in its