Moon Phases - 5 of 7
Moon Phases
Brief Summary
Using this model of the Earth-Moon-Sun system, visitors see what causes the phases of the Moon. Visitors can observe these phases “from outer space,” then experience them first-hand by taking the Earth's point of view and looking out at the Moon.
Moon Phases - 5 of 7
Equipment Required
· Globe and support base· Moon model with shield
· Moon Phases table (including ring)
· Set of Moon cards
· Swiveling stool / / · Moon model without shield (not shown)
· Microphone and headset
· Sun (use Seeing the Sun interactive)
· A Museum Galaxy Guide partner to do Find the Sun at the same time.
Moon Phases - 5 of 7
Main Teaching Points
· Half of the Moon is always lit up by the Sun (except during a lunar eclipse).
· As the Moon orbits the Earth, only a portion of the lit part of the Moon can be seen from Earth; this is why we see moon phases.
Educational Strategy
This model gives visitors the opportunity to experience moon phases using their kinesthetic and tactile senses as well as their vision; it illustrates phases of the Moon dynamically rather than statically, and promotes conceptualization more completely by incorporating two distinct points of view.
Set Up
· Get with a Museum Galaxy Guide partner so that you can use this in conjunction with the Find the Sun demo.
· Set up table and props as in photo above.
· Leave Moon model without shield out of sight. Place Moon model with shield onto table and turn on Moon bulb.
· Turn on microphone.
· Use with Find the Sun (see separate description sheet).
Suggested ways of presenting demo
Try this to get large numbers of visitors involved:
1. Introduction
· Introduce models of Earth, Sun, and Moon (ONLY introduce Moon model with shield at this point).
· Ask visitors what lights up the (actual) Moon (we simulate this with internal light).
· Show how Sun lights up half of the Moon .
· Show how Moon orbits Earth (make sure lit side of Moon always faces Sun).
2. Visitors Move the Moon
· Have visitors pass the Moon around the circle. As they pass it, they must keep the lit side towards the Sun.
· Ask someone to move the Moon so that it travels for one MONTH.
3. A visitor sits in the center to become the Earth
· Remove globe. Have a visitor sit on the stool and stick his or her head through the center hole.
· Ask visitor to close one eye, look at the Moon, and describe what he or she sees.
· Use Moon phase cards to ask which one matches what visitor is seeing.
Or try this to create a game-like demo:
1. Introduction
· Ask what moon phase is best for landing an astronaut on the Moon.
· Ask the visitor to imagine that he or she is an astronaut.
· Ask which would be a better time to visit Moon's surface, when it's light or when it's dark. Point out that for any place on the Moon, it is dark for about two weeks straight, then light for two weeks.
2. Using the Moon model
· Introduce Moon model with shield and use a sticky tab to mark a specific landing site. Turn switch on. Ask what lights up the Moon - Does it glow with its own light like our model, or does it reflect the sun's light?
· Point to the Sun in our model. State that 1) half of the Moon is always illuminated (the side facing the Sun) and half is dark (the side away from the Sun), but 2) we can't see the whole moon at once, so we see just one phase of the Moon at a time.
3. Moon cards & phases
· Show Moon cards and ask visitor to name each phase (explain what phases are).
· Have visitors pass Moon around the circle. As they pass it, they must keep lit side towards Sun. Notice marked landing site is sometimes in dark and sometimes in light.
· Remove globe. Have visitor sit in center to take perspective of Earth. Ask visitor to close one eye, look at Moon as it is passed around ring, and describe what he or she sees. Ask visitor to match what visitor is seeing with a Moon card.
· Summarize by asking, “What would be the best time to launch an astronaut to the Moon if it takes four days to get there?”
Operating Tips
· Moon with shield is internally lit; switch is on the base. Moon without shield has no light.
· If visitor has difficulty getting onto stool and into center of table, lift ring, pull out stool, have visitor sit on stool and roll through gap in table.
· How to set up table:
1. Rest table with open end down. Insert legs into upper two sockets and secure them by turning the knobs. Be sure to insert the open end of the leg into the socket, so that the capped end will be on the floor. / 2. Lift table onto the first two legs. Once the table is horizontal, insert the remaining two legs and tighten the knobs to secure them. / 3. Place the ring into the slot on the table.Moon Phases - 5 of 7
Questions and Answers
Does the same part of Moon always face Earth?
Yes – The Moon completes one ROTATION for each ORBIT around Earth. This is because the Moon is TIDALLY LOCKED. Demo: Introduce Moon model without shield. Put a sticker onto the Moon’s surface. Put Moon onto ring and move through one orbit, showing how sticker always faces Earth.
Is the model to scale? How far is the Moon from Earth?
The Moon is 240,000 miles from Earth, or about 30 Earth diameters. Demo: Show how far away the Moon would be, and describe where the Sun would be (Sun is 93 million miles away, about 12,000 Earth diameters!). (Before you do the demo, measure out the distance of 30 globes so that you know where in Space Odyssey the Moon would be. During the demo, ask a visitor to walk to where he or she thinks the moon would be. They will be surprised when they find out the actual distance.) Explain that, at this scale, the Sun would be at Cherry Creek Shopping Center.
What about eclipses?
A LUNAR ECLIPSE happens when the Earth comes between the Moon and the Sun. Demo: Move Moon through orbit until it is on opposite side of Earth from Sun. Ask what phase Moon must be in for lunar eclipse to happen (full moon). A SOLAR ECLIPSE happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. On Earth, a solar eclipse can be seen only along a narrow path thousands of miles long on Earth. Demo: Move Moon through orbit until it is on the same side of Earth as Sun. Moving Moon slowly, show area on Earth that would experience solar eclipse. (You will have to fake this since our Sun model does not actually cast any shadows.) Ask visitors what phase Moon must be in when solar eclipse happens (new moon).
Why don't eclipses occur every time there is a new Moon?
The plane of the Moon's orbit is tilted at five degrees from the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Demo: With the Moon prop attached to the Velcro pad on the moveable ring, gently lift the whole ring out of groove and tilt it slightly.
Other Cool Stuff to Try
· Take photos of the Moon model from the Earth’s position using a digital camera, then ask the visitor how the photos compare to the Moon cards.
· On the laptop computer, show the “Lunations” animation. This is a movie of the actual Moon going through all its phases.
Fast Facts
· Apollo 11 landed at the SW corner of Mare Tranquillitatis on July 20, 1969.
· The fact that the Moon (which is small but close) can block the Sun (which is large but far way) and produce a solar eclipse is an wonderful coincidence. It is because of this coincidence that the early Greek astronomer, Hipparchos, as able to estimate the distance to the Moon and to the Sun.
Potential Problems
· Illumination of the Moon from inside, as in this model, is very misleading and could produce the misconception that the moon is luminous rather than reflective. Be sure to mention that the Moon does not glow on its own.
· Do not allow visitors to sit or lean heavily on table.
· Be careful not to introduce too many concepts at once – allow time to digest information.
Background materials (websites, videos, articles, digital collections links)
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html – all aspects of the Moon http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon – all aspects of the Moon
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phasecat.html–find out the phase of the Moon on any given date.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tothemoon/explore.html – panoramic images of the Moon taken during the Apollo missions
http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml - This shows the lunar phase for any given month.
Moon Phases - 5 of 7
Self assessment suggestions
After doing the Moon Phases Demo several times, complete the checklist and rubric below by highlighting the box that best describes your performance. Have your team leader observe your demo then complete an identical rubric. Discuss your presentation technique with your team leader along the lines of the rubric.
Rubric for MOON PHASES DEMO DATE______PRESENTER______
A. Checklist of pre-requisite skills
1. Can set up and take down the table and equipment, and gather a crowd2. Can help a person into and out of the table by lifting the ring
3. Knows the names of all 8 phases of the Moon and can distinguish waxing crescent from waning crescent, first quarter from third quarter and waxing gibbous from waning gibbous
4. Can use the equipment to illustrate and explain what a month is
5. Can use the equipment to illustrate and explain why half of the Moon is always illuminated
6. Can use the equipment to illustrate and explain why we on Earth cannot always see the illuminated half of the Moon
7. Can use the equipment to illustrate the distance between the Moon and Earth on same scale
8. Can use the equipment to illustrate and explain solar eclipses, lunar eclipses and why solar eclipses don't occur every month.
B. Rubric for Moon Phases Demo
QUALITY LEVELS Þ / OK / EXCELLENTTRAITS ß
Helpfulness / Tells hesitant visitors they can duck under the ring and sit on the stool / Lifts ring and aids visitors onto stool
Responsiveness to visitors / Answers visitor questions / Praises questioning behavior & manipulates Moon prop to help visitor discover the answer to their own question
Engaging visitors / Guides visitor through the 2 main teaching points / Fits teaching points into the discussion naturally using props to illustrate
Involves visitors / Moves Moon prop to a given location and shows visitor the matching Moon card / Shows visitor Moon card and ask visitor to move Moon prop to matching location, or vice versa.
Sparking curiosity / Asks mostly simple questions with
factual answers such as “what is this phase called?” / Asks open ended questions such as, “What would the Earth look like as seen from the Moon during an eclipse?” “How could you tell a third quarter Moon from a first quarter Moon?” “Is it possible to predict the phase the Earth is in when seen from the Moon?”