Quiz 2 Learning Goals and Supplemental Resources
[Fix, Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier, 4/e, Chapters 2, 9 (partial)]
[Reading guide (*.pdf)]
[CPS inquiry questions (*.pdf)]
[CPS review questions (*.pdf)]
- Understand how the relative orientation of Moon/Earth/Sun creates the different new/waxing/full/waning lunar phases.
- Lunar Phases handout (*.pdf)
Thoroughly understand how the position of the Moon in its orbit, and the amount of the night side of the Moon that is visible from the Earth determines the phase of the Moon, and vice versa. The convention here is to place the Sun at a very far distance off to the right.
- In-class activity 3, Moon Phases and Rise/Meridian/Set Times (*.pdf)
Practice placing the Moon in its orbit, given its phase as seen from Earth.
- Starry Night files:
Visualize how the Moon orbits counterclockwise around the Earth, and how the Earth rotates counterclockwise, as seen from above looking downwards.
- Website:
- Understand how the relative orientation of Moon/Earth/Sun determines the approximate rise/meridian/set times of the Moon, in its different phases.
- In-class activity 3, Full Moon Madness, Moon Phases and Rise/Meridian/Set Times (*.pdf)
- Websites:
- Moon Phase Calculator (stardate.org)
- Lunar Phases Interactive (*.swf)
Practice with a virtual "moonwheel." Pause time to change the time of day or the position of the Moon in its orbit. Day 8 = first quarter, day 15 = full moon, day 22 = last quarter, day 28/1 = new moon. Make sure the view of the sky always corresponds to what you expect from the Moon/Earth/Sun diagram at left (McGraw-Hill Publishers).
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:
- Lunation (*.gif animation)
Phases of the Moon over one synodic period, starting and ending with the new moon. (Note that the size of the Moon changes slightly, due to its elliptical orbit around the Earth, and that features shift slightly upwards and downwards, due to its tilted orbit around the Earth.)
- Understand the causes of penumbra/umbra shadows, and how they relate to solar/lunar/partial/total/annular eclipses.
- In-class activity 4, Shadow Zones (*.pdf)
Demonstrate how an obstacle will block light from different parts of the Sun from reaching certain locations in its umbra/penumbra/negative shadow, and what the obstacle and Sun will look like when observed from these locations.
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:
- Know how the relative orientation of Moon/Earth/Sun creates partial/total lunar eclipses, and what an observer will see from certain places on the night side of the Earth. Also know how the relative orientation of Moon/Earth/Sun creates partial/total/annular solar eclipses, and what an observer will see from certain places on the day side of the Earth.
- In-class activity 4, Moon-Earth-Observer Eclipse Locations (*.pdf)
Discuss how the Moon, Earth, and Sun must be aligned in order for different eclipses to occur, especially with regard to the up/down tilt and close/near positions of the Moon with respect to the Earth, and where an observer must be on the surface of the Earth to see these eclipses.
- Starry Night files:
- "Line of Nodes" (*.snf)
Visualize the tilt variation in Moon's orbit, as seen from the Sun. Note how the timing of the Moon in its orbit, and the timing of the orbit tilt itself determines "eclipse seasons."
- NASA Astronomy Pictures of the Day:
- Perigee Moon, Apogee Moon
Note the variation in size of the Moon, due to its elliptical orbit around the Earth.
- Twenty Full Moons
Carefully look at the upper or lower edges of twenty full Moons at full resolution. Even though all of these Moons are in the fullest phase, the fact that you can see the terminator is evidence that the Moon's orbit is tilted with respect to the ecliptic.
- Starry Night files:
Simulations of the next total lunar eclipse (mark your calendars!) that will be visible from San Luis Obispo.
- Animation: Total Lunar Eclipse (268 KB *.gif)
March 3, 2007 total lunar eclipse (Thomas Knoblauch, wikipedia.org).
- Photoset: Total Lunar Eclipse (August 27, 2007, *.jpg)
Photographed through Cuesta College's 8" Dobsonian-mounted 8" reflector (flickr.com).
- Starry Night files:
Simulations of the most-watched total solar eclipse in history.
- Movie: Total Solar Eclipse, July 11, 1991 (468 KB *.mpg)
Satellite time-lapse movie of the path of the Moon's umbra umbra across the surface of the Earth, over Hawaii, Central America, and South America, as seen from space (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).
- (Unused, but there will be five questions for the above four learning goals on Quiz 2.)
Archived Quizzes and Exams
Please read the disclaimer regarding archived quizzes and exams before downloading.
To view the interactive Starry Night (*.snf) files used in lecture, first download them to your hard drive (Internet Explorer users should right-click to "download link to disk"), and then open them using the Starry Night Pro program (available on the CD-ROM enclosed with Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier, 4/e).
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