Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
SlideShare a Scribd company logo
The Earth and the Moon




                                                                                                             	
  
	
  
Emily	
  Atkinson	
  
Grade:	
  3	
  
	
  
Objective:	
  Students	
  will	
  understand	
  that	
  the	
  shape	
  of	
  Earth	
  and	
  the	
  moon	
  are	
  spherical	
  and	
  
that	
  Earth	
  rotates	
  on	
  its	
  axis	
  to	
  produce	
  the	
  appearance	
  of	
  the	
  sun	
  and	
  moon	
  moving	
  through	
  
the	
  sky.	
  Describe	
  the	
  appearance	
  of	
  Earth	
  and	
  the	
  moon.	
  Describe	
  the	
  movement	
  of	
  Earth	
  and	
  
the	
  moon	
  and	
  the	
  apparent	
  movement	
  of	
  other	
  bodies	
  through	
  the	
  sky.	
  
	
  
http://www.flashearth.com/	
  
Here	
  is	
  a	
  view	
  of	
  the	
  Earth	
  from	
  space!	
  	
  
	
  
Before	
  clicking	
  on	
  the	
  next	
  link,	
  list	
  some	
  things	
  you	
  already	
  know	
  about	
  Earth:	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
http://www.frontiernet.net/~kidpower/earth.html	
  
A. Here	
  are	
  some	
  facts	
  about	
  Earth.	
  Maybe	
  there	
  are	
  some	
  things	
  you	
  didn’t	
  even	
  know	
  about!	
  
	
  
      1. How	
  many	
  days	
  does	
  it	
  take	
  the	
  Earth	
  to	
  make	
  one	
  COMPLETE	
  orbit	
  around	
  the	
  sun?	
  
	
  
      2. How	
  much	
  of	
  Earth	
  is	
  covered	
  by	
  water?	
  
 
     3. How	
  many	
  satellites	
  does	
  Earth	
  have?	
  What	
  is	
  it	
  called?	
  
	
  
	
  
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/observingsky/motion1.htm	
  
Motion	
  of	
  the	
  Earth	
  	
  
Click	
  play	
  to	
  watch	
  the	
  motion	
  of	
  the	
  Earth	
  
	
  
http://www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/uts/earth2.html	
  
B. Earth’s	
  rotation 	
  
     1. What	
  is	
  the	
  Earth	
  rotating	
  on?	
  
	
  
     2. Is	
  Earth	
  on	
  a	
  vertical	
  or	
  horizontal	
  axis?	
  To	
  what	
  degrees	
  is	
  it	
  
               “tipped”?	
  
	
  
	
  
               	
  
     3. How	
  long	
  does	
  it	
  take	
  Earth	
  to	
  make	
  on	
  full	
  rotation?	
  What	
  do	
  we	
  call	
  one	
  rotation?	
  
	
  
	
  
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dr-­‐marc-­‐earth/en/	
  
Ask	
  Dr.	
  Marc	
  about	
  the	
  rotation	
  of	
  the	
  Sun	
  and	
  Moon!	
  
Click	
  on	
  the	
  link	
  that	
  says	
  “Why	
  is	
  Earth	
  rotating?	
  Did	
  it	
  always	
  have	
  the	
  same	
  rotation	
  period?	
  
Will	
  it	
  always	
  have	
  the	
  same	
  rotation	
  period?”	
  
Before	
  clicking	
  the	
  next	
  link,	
  list	
  some	
  things	
  Dr.	
  Marc	
  said	
  about	
  why	
  the	
  Earth	
  rotates	
  and	
  its	
  
rotational	
  period:	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/moons_and_rings.html	
  
C. The	
  Moon	
  –	
  facts	
  and	
  information 	
  
	
  
     1. What	
  is	
  another	
  name	
  for	
  the	
  Moon?	
  (First	
  sentence)	
  What	
  is	
  it’s	
  diameter?	
  
	
  
	
  
     2. How	
  many	
  regions	
  make	
  up	
  the	
  Moon?	
  What	
  kinds	
  of	
  regions	
  are	
  they?	
  
               	
  
               	
  
               	
  
     3. What	
  is	
  the	
  Moon’s	
  top	
  layer	
  made	
  of?	
  	
  
               	
  
 
        	
  
     4. What	
  is	
  under	
  the	
  Moon’s	
  top	
  layer?	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Go	
  back	
  to	
  Dr.	
  Marc!	
  What	
  does	
  he	
  have	
  to	
  say	
  about	
  the	
  Moon?	
  
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dr-­‐marc-­‐earth/en/	
  
      What	
  does	
  he	
  know	
  about	
  our	
  Moon?	
  List	
  some	
  things	
  Dr.	
  Marc	
  says	
  about	
  the	
  moon.	
  
      	
  
      	
  
      	
  
           	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Birthday/birthdayphases.html	
  
D. The	
  Phases	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  
      1. Define	
  what	
  PHASES	
  are:	
  
	
  
	
  
      2. How	
  long	
  is	
  the	
  Moon’s	
  complete	
  cycle?	
  
	
  
      3. How	
  many	
  phases	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  are	
  there?	
  What	
  are	
  they	
  called?	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
      4. What	
  are	
  some	
  other	
  names	
  for	
  these	
  phases?	
  (Bottom	
  of	
  the	
  page)	
  
           	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
http://www.fearofphysics.com/SunMoon/phases.html	
  
E. Causes	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  Phases	
  
      1. Because	
  the	
  Moon’s	
  light	
  is	
  just	
  a	
  reflection	
  from	
  the	
  Sun,	
  what	
  causes	
  the	
  Moon	
  
           phases?	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/	
  
Watch	
  the	
  Phases	
  of	
  the	
  Moon!	
  Now	
  that	
  you	
  know	
  what	
  each	
  phase	
  looks	
  like	
  tonight,	
  look	
  at	
  
the	
  moon	
  and	
  see	
  what	
  phase	
  it	
  is	
  in!	
  Come	
  back	
  to	
  school	
  tomorrow	
  with	
  an	
  answer	
  and	
  a	
  
picture	
  you	
  have	
  drawn	
  of	
  the	
  moon.	
  
	
  
	
  




                                                                                                                     	
  
	
  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/earth_sun_moon.shtml	
  
F. Watch	
  this	
  video	
  on	
  how	
  the	
  Earth,	
  Moon	
  and	
  Sun	
  all	
  rotate	
  together!	
  
Make	
  FULL	
  SCREEN,	
  Click	
  PLAY	
  and	
  play	
  with	
  the	
  number	
  of	
  hours,	
  days	
  and	
  months	
  
     1. Can	
  you	
  make	
  the	
  Earth	
  orbit	
  just	
  once	
  around	
  the	
  Sun?	
  How	
  many	
  MONTHS	
  does	
  it	
  
         take?	
  
         	
  
	
  
     2. Can	
  you	
  make	
  the	
  Moon	
  orbit	
  just	
  once	
  around	
  the	
  Earth?	
  How	
  many	
  DAYS	
  does	
  this	
  
         take?	
  
	
  
	
  
     3. Can	
  you	
  make	
  the	
  Earth	
  turn	
  just	
  once	
  on	
  its	
  axis?	
  How	
  many	
  HOURS	
  does	
  this	
  take?	
  
	
  
	
  
     4. Click	
  on	
  LABELS	
  and	
  then	
  click	
  on	
  each	
  magnifying	
  glass	
  to	
  find	
  out	
  more	
  details	
  about	
  
         the	
  Earth,	
  Moon	
  and	
  Sun.	
  
	
  
 
                                                         	
  
                                                    Answer	
  Sheet	
  
A. Facts	
  about	
  the	
  Earth	
  
      1. Makes	
  one	
  complete	
  orbit	
  around	
  the	
  Sun	
  every	
  365.27	
  days.	
  
      2. Is	
  mostly	
  covered	
  by	
  water	
  (75%).	
  
      3. Has	
  a	
  total	
  of	
  1	
  satellite	
  (the	
  Moon).	
  
B. Earth’s	
  Rotation	
  
      1. The	
  Earth	
  is	
  rotating	
  around	
  an	
  axis	
  (called	
  its	
  rotational	
  axis).	
  
      2. Some	
  objects	
  rotate	
  about	
  a	
  horizontal	
  axis,	
  like	
  a	
  rolling	
  log.	
  Some	
  objects,	
  such	
  
             as	
  a	
  skater,	
  rotate	
  about	
  a	
  vertical	
  axis.	
  The	
  Earth's	
  axis	
  is	
  tipped	
  over	
  about	
  
             23.5°	
  from	
  vertical	
  
      3. The	
  Earth	
  rotates	
  around	
  once	
  in	
  24	
  hours	
  -­‐	
  that's	
  a	
  rate	
  of	
  1000	
  miles	
  per	
  hour!.	
  
             The	
  time	
  it	
  takes	
  for	
  the	
  Earth	
  to	
  rotate	
  completely	
  around	
  once	
  is	
  what	
  we	
  call	
  a	
  
             day.	
  It's	
  Earth's	
  rotation	
  that	
  gives	
  us	
  night	
  and	
  day.	
  
C. The	
  Moon	
  –	
  Facts	
  and	
  Information	
  
      1. The	
  Earth's	
  one	
  natural	
  satellite,	
  the	
  Moon,	
  is	
  more	
  than	
  one	
  quarter	
  the	
  size	
  of	
  
             Earth	
  itself	
  (3,474	
  km	
  diameter).	
  
      2. While	
  there	
  are	
  only	
  two	
  basic	
  types	
  of	
  regions	
  on	
  the	
  Moon's	
  surface,	
  there	
  are	
  
             many	
  interesting	
  surface	
  features	
  such	
  as	
  craters,	
  mountain	
  ranges,	
  rilles,	
  and	
  
             lava	
  plains.	
  The	
  structure	
  of	
  the	
  Moon's	
  interior	
  is	
  more	
  difficult	
  to	
  study.	
  
      3. The	
  Moon's	
  top	
  layer	
  is	
  a	
  rocky	
  solid,	
  perhaps	
  800	
  km	
  thick.	
  
      4. Beneath	
  this	
  layer	
  is	
  a	
  partially	
  molten	
  zone.	
  Although	
  it	
  is	
  not	
  known	
  for	
  certain,	
  
             many	
  lunar	
  geologists	
  believe	
  the	
  Moon	
  may	
  have	
  a	
  small	
  iron	
  core,	
  even	
  though	
  
             the	
  Moon	
  has	
  no	
  magnetic	
  field.	
  
D. The	
  Phases	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  
      1. The	
  revolution	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  around	
  the	
  Earth	
  makes	
  the	
  Moon	
  appear	
  as	
  if	
  it	
  is	
  
             changing	
  shape	
  in	
  the	
  sky.	
  	
  This	
  is	
  caused	
  by	
  the	
  different	
  angles	
  from	
  which	
  we	
  
             see	
  the	
  bright	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  Moon's	
  surface.	
  	
  These	
  are	
  called	
  "phases"	
  of	
  the	
  
             Moon.	
  	
  
      2. The	
  Moon	
  passes	
  through	
  four	
  major	
  shapes	
  during	
  a	
  cycle	
  that	
  repeats	
  itself	
  
             every	
  29.5	
  days.	
  
           3.   Below are pictures of the four major shapes and a description of each.



                                New Moon: The lighted side of the Moon faces away from the Earth. This means
                                that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are almost in a straight line, with the Moon in
                                between the Sun and the Earth. The Moon that we see looks very dark.
First Quarter: The right half of the Moon appears lighted and the left side of the
               Moon appears dark. During the time between the New Moon and the First
               Quarter Moon, the part of the Moon that appears lighted gets larger and larger
               every day, and will continue to grow until the Full Moon.




               Full Moon: The lighted side of the Moon faces the Earth. This means that the
               Earth, Sun, and Moon are nearly in a straight line, with the Earth in the
               middle. The Moon that we see is very bright from the sunlight reflecting off it.




               Last Quarter: Sometimes called Third Quarter. The left half of the Moon appears
               lighted, and the right side of the Moon appears dark. During the time between the
               Full Moon and the Last Quarter Moon, the part of the Moon that appears lighted
               gets smaller and smaller every day. It will continue to shrink until the New Moon,
               when the cycle starts all over again.


4.   There are also four other phases of the Moon sometimes used. They are as follows:




               This is known as a Waxing Crescent Moon. This Moon can be seen after the New
               Moon, but before the First Quarter Moon. The crescent will grow larger and larger
               every day, until the Moon looks like the First Quarter Moon.




               This Moon is known as a Waxing Gibbous Moon. This Moon can be seen after
               the First Quarter Moon, but before the Full Moon. The amount of the Moon that
               we can see will grow larger and larger every day. ("Waxing" means increasing, or
               growing larger.)




               This Moon is called a Waning Gibbous Moon. This Moon can be seen after the
               Full Moon, but before the Last Quarter Moon. The amount of the Moon that we
               can see will grow smaller and smaller every day. ("Waning" means decreasing, or
               growing smaller.)
This Moon is called the Waning Crescent Moon. This Moon can be seen after the
                                  Last Quarter Moon and before the New Moon. The crescent will grow smaller and
                                  smaller every day, until the Moon looks like the New Moon.



	
  
E. Causes	
  of	
  the	
  Moon	
  Phases	
  
      1. So	
  here's	
  where	
  the	
  phases	
  of	
  the	
  moon	
  come	
  from:	
  Unless	
  it	
  moves	
  behind	
  the	
  
             Earth,	
  half	
  of	
  the	
  moon	
  (that	
  faces	
  the	
  Sun)	
  is	
  always	
  lit	
  by	
  the	
  Sun.	
  That's	
  why	
  
             the	
  moon	
  always	
  appears	
  like	
  a	
  bright	
  round	
  ball	
  in	
  the	
  left	
  video.	
  But	
  look	
  at	
  
             where	
  your	
  green	
  city	
  viewpoint	
  is	
  in	
  the	
  left	
  video;	
  sort	
  of	
  off	
  to	
  the	
  side	
  of	
  the	
  
             moon.	
  You	
  are	
  not	
  looking	
  at	
  the	
  moon	
  directly-­‐-­‐	
  from	
  the	
  side,	
  you	
  see	
  part	
  of	
  
             the	
  lit	
  side,	
  and	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  dark	
  side.	
  How	
  much	
  of	
  each	
  depends	
  on	
  exactly	
  
             where	
  you	
  are,	
  and	
  where	
  the	
  Sun,	
  Moon,	
  and	
  Earth	
  are.	
  What	
  the	
  moon	
  would	
  
             look	
  like	
  from	
  your	
  green	
  city	
  is	
  shown	
  in	
  the	
  right	
  video.	
  
F. Video	
  on	
  Earth,	
  Moon	
  and	
  Sun	
  
      1. 12	
  months	
  
      2. 28	
  days	
  
      3. 24	
  hours	
  
      4. Earth	
  	
  
                     i. What	
  is	
  it?	
  The	
  Earth	
  is	
  a	
  planet	
  made	
  of	
  rock,	
  air	
  and	
  water.	
  	
  
                    ii. What	
  shape	
  is	
  it?	
  Roughly	
  spherical,	
  like	
  a	
  slightly	
  squashed	
  ball.	
  
                   iii. How	
  big	
  is	
  it?	
  It	
  has	
  a	
  circumference	
  of	
  about	
  40,000	
  km	
  
                   iv. How	
  fast	
  does	
  it	
  move?	
  The	
  Earth	
  travels	
  around	
  the	
  Sun	
  once	
  every	
  year,	
  
                            at	
  the	
  speed	
  of	
  about	
  100,000	
  km	
  per	
  hour.	
  
                    v. Did	
  you	
  know?	
  The	
  Earth	
  also	
  spins	
  on	
  its	
  axis	
  (an	
  imaginary	
  line	
  through	
  
                            its	
  center)	
  once	
  every	
  24	
  hours	
  
      5. Moon	
  
                     i. What	
  is	
  it?	
  A	
  large	
  ball	
  of	
  rock	
  that	
  moves	
  around	
  the	
  Earth	
  
                    ii. What	
  shape	
  is	
  it?	
  Roughly	
  spherical	
  
                   iii. How	
  big	
  is	
  it?	
  About	
  a	
  quarter	
  of	
  the	
  size	
  of	
  the	
  Earth	
  
                   iv. How	
  fast	
  does	
  it	
  move?	
  The	
  Moon	
  travels	
  around	
  the	
  Earth	
  once	
  every	
  28	
  
                            days,	
  at	
  a	
  speed	
  of	
  over	
  3,000	
  km	
  per	
  hour	
  
                    v. Did	
  you	
  know?	
  Sometimes	
  we	
  see	
  the	
  whole	
  Moon,	
  and	
  sometimes	
  we	
  see	
  
                            only	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  Moon,	
  This	
  is	
  because	
  of	
  the	
  way	
  the	
  light	
  from	
  the	
  Sun	
  
                            falls	
  on	
  it	
  
      6. Sun	
  
                     i. What	
  is	
  it?	
  The	
  Sun	
  is	
  a	
  star,	
  it	
  is	
  very	
  hot	
  and	
  it	
  gives	
  us	
  heat	
  and	
  light	
  
                    ii. What	
  shape	
  is	
  it?	
  Roughly	
  spherical	
  
                   iii. How	
  big	
  is	
  it?	
  The	
  Sun	
  is	
  more	
  than	
  100	
  times	
  bigger	
  than	
  the	
  Earth	
  
                   iv. How	
  hot	
  is	
  it?	
  15	
  million	
  degrees	
  at	
  the	
  center	
  
                    v. Did	
  you	
  know?	
  Our	
  Sun	
  is	
  just	
  one	
  of	
  about	
  400	
  thousand	
  million	
  stars	
  in	
  
                            the	
  galaxy	
  we	
  call	
  the	
  Milky	
  Way	
  
 
	
  

More Related Content

Earth and moon webquest

  • 1. The Earth and the Moon     Emily  Atkinson   Grade:  3     Objective:  Students  will  understand  that  the  shape  of  Earth  and  the  moon  are  spherical  and   that  Earth  rotates  on  its  axis  to  produce  the  appearance  of  the  sun  and  moon  moving  through   the  sky.  Describe  the  appearance  of  Earth  and  the  moon.  Describe  the  movement  of  Earth  and   the  moon  and  the  apparent  movement  of  other  bodies  through  the  sky.     http://www.flashearth.com/   Here  is  a  view  of  the  Earth  from  space!       Before  clicking  on  the  next  link,  list  some  things  you  already  know  about  Earth:               http://www.frontiernet.net/~kidpower/earth.html   A. Here  are  some  facts  about  Earth.  Maybe  there  are  some  things  you  didn’t  even  know  about!     1. How  many  days  does  it  take  the  Earth  to  make  one  COMPLETE  orbit  around  the  sun?     2. How  much  of  Earth  is  covered  by  water?  
  • 2.   3. How  many  satellites  does  Earth  have?  What  is  it  called?       http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/observingsky/motion1.htm   Motion  of  the  Earth     Click  play  to  watch  the  motion  of  the  Earth     http://www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/uts/earth2.html   B. Earth’s  rotation   1. What  is  the  Earth  rotating  on?     2. Is  Earth  on  a  vertical  or  horizontal  axis?  To  what  degrees  is  it   “tipped”?         3. How  long  does  it  take  Earth  to  make  on  full  rotation?  What  do  we  call  one  rotation?       http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dr-­‐marc-­‐earth/en/   Ask  Dr.  Marc  about  the  rotation  of  the  Sun  and  Moon!   Click  on  the  link  that  says  “Why  is  Earth  rotating?  Did  it  always  have  the  same  rotation  period?   Will  it  always  have  the  same  rotation  period?”   Before  clicking  the  next  link,  list  some  things  Dr.  Marc  said  about  why  the  Earth  rotates  and  its   rotational  period:               http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/moons_and_rings.html   C. The  Moon  –  facts  and  information     1. What  is  another  name  for  the  Moon?  (First  sentence)  What  is  it’s  diameter?       2. How  many  regions  make  up  the  Moon?  What  kinds  of  regions  are  they?         3. What  is  the  Moon’s  top  layer  made  of?      
  • 3.     4. What  is  under  the  Moon’s  top  layer?         Go  back  to  Dr.  Marc!  What  does  he  have  to  say  about  the  Moon?   http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dr-­‐marc-­‐earth/en/   What  does  he  know  about  our  Moon?  List  some  things  Dr.  Marc  says  about  the  moon.                   http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Birthday/birthdayphases.html   D. The  Phases  of  the  Moon   1. Define  what  PHASES  are:       2. How  long  is  the  Moon’s  complete  cycle?     3. How  many  phases  of  the  Moon  are  there?  What  are  they  called?             4. What  are  some  other  names  for  these  phases?  (Bottom  of  the  page)               http://www.fearofphysics.com/SunMoon/phases.html   E. Causes  of  the  Moon  Phases   1. Because  the  Moon’s  light  is  just  a  reflection  from  the  Sun,  what  causes  the  Moon   phases?        
  • 4. http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/   Watch  the  Phases  of  the  Moon!  Now  that  you  know  what  each  phase  looks  like  tonight,  look  at   the  moon  and  see  what  phase  it  is  in!  Come  back  to  school  tomorrow  with  an  answer  and  a   picture  you  have  drawn  of  the  moon.           http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/earth_sun_moon.shtml   F. Watch  this  video  on  how  the  Earth,  Moon  and  Sun  all  rotate  together!   Make  FULL  SCREEN,  Click  PLAY  and  play  with  the  number  of  hours,  days  and  months   1. Can  you  make  the  Earth  orbit  just  once  around  the  Sun?  How  many  MONTHS  does  it   take?       2. Can  you  make  the  Moon  orbit  just  once  around  the  Earth?  How  many  DAYS  does  this   take?       3. Can  you  make  the  Earth  turn  just  once  on  its  axis?  How  many  HOURS  does  this  take?       4. Click  on  LABELS  and  then  click  on  each  magnifying  glass  to  find  out  more  details  about   the  Earth,  Moon  and  Sun.    
  • 5.     Answer  Sheet   A. Facts  about  the  Earth   1. Makes  one  complete  orbit  around  the  Sun  every  365.27  days.   2. Is  mostly  covered  by  water  (75%).   3. Has  a  total  of  1  satellite  (the  Moon).   B. Earth’s  Rotation   1. The  Earth  is  rotating  around  an  axis  (called  its  rotational  axis).   2. Some  objects  rotate  about  a  horizontal  axis,  like  a  rolling  log.  Some  objects,  such   as  a  skater,  rotate  about  a  vertical  axis.  The  Earth's  axis  is  tipped  over  about   23.5°  from  vertical   3. The  Earth  rotates  around  once  in  24  hours  -­‐  that's  a  rate  of  1000  miles  per  hour!.   The  time  it  takes  for  the  Earth  to  rotate  completely  around  once  is  what  we  call  a   day.  It's  Earth's  rotation  that  gives  us  night  and  day.   C. The  Moon  –  Facts  and  Information   1. The  Earth's  one  natural  satellite,  the  Moon,  is  more  than  one  quarter  the  size  of   Earth  itself  (3,474  km  diameter).   2. While  there  are  only  two  basic  types  of  regions  on  the  Moon's  surface,  there  are   many  interesting  surface  features  such  as  craters,  mountain  ranges,  rilles,  and   lava  plains.  The  structure  of  the  Moon's  interior  is  more  difficult  to  study.   3. The  Moon's  top  layer  is  a  rocky  solid,  perhaps  800  km  thick.   4. Beneath  this  layer  is  a  partially  molten  zone.  Although  it  is  not  known  for  certain,   many  lunar  geologists  believe  the  Moon  may  have  a  small  iron  core,  even  though   the  Moon  has  no  magnetic  field.   D. The  Phases  of  the  Moon   1. The  revolution  of  the  Moon  around  the  Earth  makes  the  Moon  appear  as  if  it  is   changing  shape  in  the  sky.    This  is  caused  by  the  different  angles  from  which  we   see  the  bright  part  of  the  Moon's  surface.    These  are  called  "phases"  of  the   Moon.     2. The  Moon  passes  through  four  major  shapes  during  a  cycle  that  repeats  itself   every  29.5  days.   3. Below are pictures of the four major shapes and a description of each. New Moon: The lighted side of the Moon faces away from the Earth. This means that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are almost in a straight line, with the Moon in between the Sun and the Earth. The Moon that we see looks very dark.
  • 6. First Quarter: The right half of the Moon appears lighted and the left side of the Moon appears dark. During the time between the New Moon and the First Quarter Moon, the part of the Moon that appears lighted gets larger and larger every day, and will continue to grow until the Full Moon. Full Moon: The lighted side of the Moon faces the Earth. This means that the Earth, Sun, and Moon are nearly in a straight line, with the Earth in the middle. The Moon that we see is very bright from the sunlight reflecting off it. Last Quarter: Sometimes called Third Quarter. The left half of the Moon appears lighted, and the right side of the Moon appears dark. During the time between the Full Moon and the Last Quarter Moon, the part of the Moon that appears lighted gets smaller and smaller every day. It will continue to shrink until the New Moon, when the cycle starts all over again. 4. There are also four other phases of the Moon sometimes used. They are as follows: This is known as a Waxing Crescent Moon. This Moon can be seen after the New Moon, but before the First Quarter Moon. The crescent will grow larger and larger every day, until the Moon looks like the First Quarter Moon. This Moon is known as a Waxing Gibbous Moon. This Moon can be seen after the First Quarter Moon, but before the Full Moon. The amount of the Moon that we can see will grow larger and larger every day. ("Waxing" means increasing, or growing larger.) This Moon is called a Waning Gibbous Moon. This Moon can be seen after the Full Moon, but before the Last Quarter Moon. The amount of the Moon that we can see will grow smaller and smaller every day. ("Waning" means decreasing, or growing smaller.)
  • 7. This Moon is called the Waning Crescent Moon. This Moon can be seen after the Last Quarter Moon and before the New Moon. The crescent will grow smaller and smaller every day, until the Moon looks like the New Moon.   E. Causes  of  the  Moon  Phases   1. So  here's  where  the  phases  of  the  moon  come  from:  Unless  it  moves  behind  the   Earth,  half  of  the  moon  (that  faces  the  Sun)  is  always  lit  by  the  Sun.  That's  why   the  moon  always  appears  like  a  bright  round  ball  in  the  left  video.  But  look  at   where  your  green  city  viewpoint  is  in  the  left  video;  sort  of  off  to  the  side  of  the   moon.  You  are  not  looking  at  the  moon  directly-­‐-­‐  from  the  side,  you  see  part  of   the  lit  side,  and  part  of  the  dark  side.  How  much  of  each  depends  on  exactly   where  you  are,  and  where  the  Sun,  Moon,  and  Earth  are.  What  the  moon  would   look  like  from  your  green  city  is  shown  in  the  right  video.   F. Video  on  Earth,  Moon  and  Sun   1. 12  months   2. 28  days   3. 24  hours   4. Earth     i. What  is  it?  The  Earth  is  a  planet  made  of  rock,  air  and  water.     ii. What  shape  is  it?  Roughly  spherical,  like  a  slightly  squashed  ball.   iii. How  big  is  it?  It  has  a  circumference  of  about  40,000  km   iv. How  fast  does  it  move?  The  Earth  travels  around  the  Sun  once  every  year,   at  the  speed  of  about  100,000  km  per  hour.   v. Did  you  know?  The  Earth  also  spins  on  its  axis  (an  imaginary  line  through   its  center)  once  every  24  hours   5. Moon   i. What  is  it?  A  large  ball  of  rock  that  moves  around  the  Earth   ii. What  shape  is  it?  Roughly  spherical   iii. How  big  is  it?  About  a  quarter  of  the  size  of  the  Earth   iv. How  fast  does  it  move?  The  Moon  travels  around  the  Earth  once  every  28   days,  at  a  speed  of  over  3,000  km  per  hour   v. Did  you  know?  Sometimes  we  see  the  whole  Moon,  and  sometimes  we  see   only  part  of  the  Moon,  This  is  because  of  the  way  the  light  from  the  Sun   falls  on  it   6. Sun   i. What  is  it?  The  Sun  is  a  star,  it  is  very  hot  and  it  gives  us  heat  and  light   ii. What  shape  is  it?  Roughly  spherical   iii. How  big  is  it?  The  Sun  is  more  than  100  times  bigger  than  the  Earth   iv. How  hot  is  it?  15  million  degrees  at  the  center   v. Did  you  know?  Our  Sun  is  just  one  of  about  400  thousand  million  stars  in   the  galaxy  we  call  the  Milky  Way