Moon Phases Lab
- Guiding Question: What causes moon phases?
- For the model, place the flashlight about one meter from Earth.
- Place the moon between Earth and the sun.
- Observe the moon as if you were standing on Earth.
- Sketch the appearance of the moon in your notebook from four point positions.
- Move the moon 1/4 of the way around Earth in a counterclockwise direction.
- Sketch your observations. Do the same with the moon 1/2 of the way around and 3/4 of the way around Earth.
- Place the moon again between Earth and the sun.
- Observe Earth and the moon from "space" (a position directly above Earth).
- Record your observations of the moon. Move the moon 1/4 of the way around Earth in a counterclockwise direction. Record your observations of the moon around the Earth. Do the same for 1/2 of the way around Earth and 3/4 of the way around Earth.
This is an example of full moon.
This is an example of a new moon!
The arrows represent the sun light coming from the one and only SUN!! You can see the changes of the moon positions in orbit. This effect the amount of sun that is reflected off of the moon to the earth.
This is another example, just the sun light coming from the other side of the earth.
This is a diagram of the moon as if we were looking at it from the earth. The forth moon is a NEW MOON, the sunlit side faces away from the earth. The third moon is the First Quarter- you can see half of the sunlit side of the moon. The second moon is called the Full Moon- the entire sunlit side faces Earth. The first Moon is the THIRD Quarter- the picture flip-flopped the picture so it is backwards.
This is an example of a new moon!
This is an example of the First Quarter Moon:
A first Quarter Moon:
What did you notice about the phases of the moon?
I noticed that the phases of the moon are very slow, it takes 29.9 days for the moon to revolve around the earth. I have also noticed that the moon has 4 main cycles it reminds me of a clock. I have also learned that we cannot see the other side of side of the moon. The moon is about 4.6 million years old, which is about as old as the Earth. During this exploration I learned that the moon doesn't produce its own light, it actually reflects off of the sun. Depending on where the moon is located people on earth see the moons different shapes.
I noticed that the phases of the moon are very slow, it takes 29.9 days for the moon to revolve around the earth. I have also noticed that the moon has 4 main cycles it reminds me of a clock. I have also learned that we cannot see the other side of side of the moon. The moon is about 4.6 million years old, which is about as old as the Earth. During this exploration I learned that the moon doesn't produce its own light, it actually reflects off of the sun. Depending on where the moon is located people on earth see the moons different shapes.
Why do we see different parts of the moon each night?
As the moon revolves around the earth it reflects light from the sun. Depending on the position of the moon in relation of the sun, that is how we see the different shapes of the moon. The more light received from the sun the bigger the shape of the moon. When the moon starts to go off away from the sun, we start to see less and less of the sun.
What is a lunar month?
A lunar month is the complete cycle of the moon revolving around the earth. This is what we see as a month, after going through all eight cycles it is time to start again. It takes approximatively 29. 9 days for a full cycle, rounded, the moon takes 15 days to complete 1/2 of the cycle.
How does the moon, sun and Earth interact to cause so many things to occur?
As the planets orbit around in their paths they are constantly moving, varying in different relations to each other. Without the different phases of the moon, earth, and sun we would not have a sustainable earth. Life would not be possible, one side of the earth would be sun baked and the other would be frozen. With out the moon we would not have tides, with out the earths tilt we would not have seasons. With out the sun we would be in total darkness and living organisms would not be possible.
What causes an eclipse and tide?
An eclipse is when the earth and the moon block each from the sun.
When an object in space comes in between the sun and a third object it then casts a shadow on that certain object. That is the definition of a eclipse. Tides is the rise and fall of the ocean water , this occurs every 12.5 hours. (Rises and falls every 6 hours.) This is caused by the differences in how much of the moon's gravity pulls on the different polls of the Earth.
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