EARTH’S MOON

WHAT CAUSES MOON PHASES?

HALF LIT AND HALF DARK

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USE YOUR STYROFOAM MODELS NOW…

1. Hold the sphere out in front of you.

2. Be sure that the “day/night line” is parallel with the window wall (perpendicular to the sun rays!!!)

3. If the “sun” is behind you, and the moon is in front of you, you should be seeing FULL MOON PHASE.

4. Move the sphere to your left about 45 degrees. This represents moons counterclockwise revolution to the GIBBOUS PHASE. 5. Continue moving the sphere in

a CCW direction, 45 degrees at a time, and observe how the visible portion of the lit half of the moon changes.

ACTUAL MOON IS ALWAYS HALF LIT

BUT, THE AMOUNT OF THE

LIT HALF THAT WE

SEE CHANGES AS MOON REVOLVE

SClick the moon

WAXING AND WANING PHASESNOTICE THAT FIRST THE RIGHT SIDE GETS LARGER (WAXING), UNTIL FULL MOON. THEN THE LEFT SIDE GETS SMALLER (WANING) UNTIL NEW MOON.

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Why does the moon rise fifty minutes later each night?

Why does the Moon rise in the east, and set in the west??

Record your explanation of the demonstration…

CAPTURED ROTATIONAs I revolve around something, but always face it, am I rotating as I revolve, or not?

This is called captured rotation, and it is what the moon does! As it revolves around Earth, our gravity keeps it captured so that it keeps the same side facing us all the time.There is a far side and a near side of the moon!!

THIS IS THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON

IT CAN ONLY BE SEEN FROM A SPACESHIP, BECAUSE CAPTURED ROTATION KEEPS IT FACING AWAY FROM US

THIS IS THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!!IT’S A GREAT ALBUM THAT CAME OUT THIRTY YEARS AGO ( I WAS SEVENTEEN! )

IS THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON THE SAME THING AS THE FAR SIDE? NO!! THE FAR SIDE IS LIT DURING A NEW MOON, WE JUST CAN’T SEE IT. THIS IS WHERE YOUR STYROFOAM MODELS DON’T WORK VERY WELL…CLICK

THE MOON TAKES 27 DAYS TO REVOLVE 360 DEGREES AROUND EARTH

SO, SHOULDN’T IT BE IN THE SAME PHASE AS IT WAS 27 DAYS EARLIER?

Why does it take 29 days for a complete cycle of phases…

If it only takes 27 days to revolve 360 degrees?

LUNAR ECLIPSE MEANS WE CAN’T SEE THE MOON FROM EARTH.WHEN SUN, EARTH ANDMOON ARE LINED UP, IT IS A FULL MOON! WHY DOESN’T IT HAPPEN EVERY MONTH?

SOLAR ECLIPSE MEANS WE CAN’T SEE THE SUN FROM EARTH.WHEN SUN, MOON ANDEARTH ARE LINED UP LIKE THIS IT IS NEW MOON. NOTICE THAT SOLAR ECLIPSE ONLY OCCURS IN A SMALL AREA OF EARTH.

WHAT CAUSES TIDES?

THE GRAVITATIONAL ATTRACTION OF THE MOON AND THE SUN PULL OUR OCEANS TO THEM

WHEN SUN AND MOON PULL TOGETHER, IN NEW MOON OR FULL MOON PHASE, THE HIGH TIDES ARE UNUSUALLY HIGH – THEY ARE CALLED SPRING TIDES.

WHEN SUN AND MOON PULL AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER, THEY CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT – THE LOW TIDES ARE UNUSUALLY LOW

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