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Frostburg State Planetarium presents Winter 2015 Sky Sights for Primary Grades & Beginners by Dr. Bob Doyle Next Version: April 2015

Big Topics Treated Horizon, Finding directions, Sunrise/Sunset How Day Sky Works, Twilight AM & PM Moon basics, Made of what? Lady in moon? Bright points at night? Winter 2015 Planets Best Stars & Groups Seen on Winter Evenings 3 Built in Mini Quizzes with answers supplied Winter ‘15 Moon Schedule, Planet Table

Horizon & Directions When looking at sky, we may view ½ of universe ! The Horizon is line between ground and sky. 4 directions along horizon – North, East, South & West. To learn, say Never Eat Salty Worms! North is direction your shadow points in mid day. East is about where sun rises each morning. South is where sun is highest in sky (in mid day) West is about where sun sets in late afternoon.

Why does Sun Rise & Set? For thousands of years, humans believed that sun & sky objects moved about Earth every day! In the 1500’s, Copernicus proposed that the Earth itself was moving, not the sky objects! Copernicus wrote that the Earth was spinning every day and orbiting the sun every year! It took over a century until most were convinced that Copernicus was correct (thanks to Newton). The Earth spins so the sun seems to rise and set.

Let’s review these ideas What is the line between ground & sky? Is it Ground line? Horizon? Edge of sky? In what direction are shadows in mid day? Is it North? East? South? or West? Why does sun seem to rise and set? Because Sun is moving? Earth is spinning? Write down your answers for these questions. Answers are: Horizon, North & Earth is spinning

How Day Sky Works Sun, our day star is so bright that it lights up air, causing it to glow blue on a clear day. As Earth turns, sun seems to rise in morning Due to our turning, sun slowly rolls to the right. Sun peaks about Noon in Jan. & Feb. 1 pm in Mar. Sun sets near direction West as we turn. To find North, face where sun goes down and extend your right arm out, points North.

Twilight or Dusk? When sun disappears from our view, the air overhead is still ‘seeing’ sun and glowing. As we turn more away from sun, only very thin, very high air still lit & sky gets darker. This time is twilight or dusk, lasts an hour. During dusk, bright planets, stars show 1 st. By end of dusk, bright star groups seen. Just as dusk after sunset, dawn before sunrise.

What about Moon? Our moon is a ball of rock that orbits Earth. Moon ¼ as big as Earth; if Earth a regular globe (1 ft.wide), moon is a tennis ball. If Earth is regular globe, moon is 30 ft.away As moon orbits us, we see day & night sides In evening, lighted side ‘grows’ for 12 days Then moon is full, shining all thru the night Then moon ‘shrinks’ for 12 days, leaving even.sky Moon’s lighted shapes change as we see its lighted side; its dark side blends in with the night sky

Half full moon shows craters near its straight edge where sun there is rising or setting.

When evening moon looks like a ‘D’, the sun is rising along left edge, lighting up the crater rims and mountains. This ‘D’ moon allows you to see craters & mountains with binoculars held steadily or with a small telescope on tripod (better). A week after the moon is full, you can see it In the morning day sky, as a backwards ‘D’. Even during the morning hours, you can see the craters & mountains on moon with binoculars or a small telescope. But Never look at SUN!

Just a little bit more about Moon The moon NOT a big cheese ball! (Sorry!) See figure on moon’s disk from dark plains Dark plains of hard lava, good to land there Over 50 yrs. ago, 1 st men walked on moon Perhaps in 2020’s, humans fly around moon Current rockets can’t carry people, new rockets needed, China or U.S. may be next

Winter 2015 Moon Schedule Early Jan. : Full Moon on 1/5 (lava plains) Late Jan. : ½ Full Evening Moon -1/27 Early Feb.: Full Moon on 2/3 (lava plains) Late Feb.: ½ Full Evening Moon – 2/25 Early Mar.: Full Moon on 3/5 (lava plains) Late Mar.: ½ Full Evening Moon – 3/27

Another review of ideas.. As you face sunset, what points North? Back of Head? Right arm (out)? Left ear? If Earth 1 ft. wide, how far away is moon? Is it 10 feet? 30 feet? 100 feet? 300 feet? How long does moon ‘grow’ or ‘shrink’? Is it A week? A dozen days? A month? Write down your answers to above 3 questions. Answers: Right arm (out), 30 feet, Dozen days

Bright steady points at night? Even the nearest planets appear as * (points) as we see them with our eyes; for even these objects very far away (moon=1 unit). Venus 100x farther. To tell a planet from a star, all night stars twinkle and planets usually shine steady. Also satellites (especially Space Station) shine steadily as creep eastward across sky Night stars are distant suns, really, really far away compared to our planet neighbors. If Earth penny size, moon 22” away, sun 730 ft. away (6.3 ft. wide), nearest star is 37,000 mi.away

Easy Winter 2015 Planets Jupiter very bright, steady point in E, SE even.sky Moon & Jupiter close 1/8, 2/4, 3/3 Brilliant Venus becomes prominent in SW dusk Crescent Moon & Venus close 1/21, 2/20 & 3/22 Mercury SW dusk in mid Jan./SE dawn late Feb. Saturn SE dawn in Jan./Late Even. In E, late Mar.

Venus seen low in SW dusk Jan. best in Feb. & Mar. Jupiter high in Southeast in early evening

Jupiter as seen From spaceprobe with Great Red Spot shown by brackets

Easy Winter Stars & Groups Evening: Big Dipper to right of North Star 2 top Dipper stars point left to N. Star Same 2 Dipper stars point right to Leo’s sickle Orion (hr.glass shape) with 3 * belt South Orion’s belt points left to Sirius, brightest * High in the sky is bright golden star Capella To right of Orion’s belt is Taurus & 7 Sisters Above and to the left of Orion is the planet Jupiter

B. Dipper & N. * on Winter Evenings North Star Pointers

riJupiteron on winter in South Orion & friends – 2015 winter evenings in South Aldebaran (Taurus) 7 Sisters Sirius Rigel Betelgeuse

Let’s review once more… How to tell a planet from a star? Planet always brighter Planet shines steady Most visible Evening Planet this Winter? Jupiter Mercury Mars Which part of Big Dipper points to N.Star? End of Scoop or Arch of Dipper’s Handle Write down your answers Answers: Planet shines steady, Jupiter, Scoop

Frequently asked questions What are falling stars? (Aka shooting stars) Nearly all are pea sized space grit burning up in our upper atmosphere. Only dust left. Can the planets line up like beads on string? No, orbits are tilted but even if they could, pull is extremely weak, compared to our moon. What keeps stars, planets floating in sky? There’s no up/down in space. Earth floats too!

Send any additional questions to…. Bob Doyle Be sure that questions involve basics about sky, moon, planets and stars