Moon Dancesource

Larry KirkpatrickMontana State University

page 155

This presentation is created for PHCABy

Dick Heckathorn27 October 2K + 5

Table of Contents

12 New Moon

18 Full Moon

22 First Quarter

25 Third Quarter

29 Crescent Moon

33 Gibbous Moon

36 Questions

No materials are necessaryfor this exercise. However,

younger children might enjoyhaving a paper sunto hold in one hand

and a paper cutout of the appropriate phase of the moon

to hold in the other.

You should put large letters

N - S - E - W

on the wallsto remind the students

of the directions.

Prerequisite Concepts

1. The sun is very much farther away than the moon.

2. The moon shines by reflected sunlight. 3. The angle between the sun and the moon

determines the phase of the moon.4. Definition of the local celestial meridian 5. Celestial bodies rise in the east and set in

the west.

This is a movement activity.

Students are askto use their arms

to predict the locations and times

of the various phasesof the moon.

The teacher and the studentsshould face the same way

Southwith the teacher

in front of the students.

This allows the students to make the samearm movementsas the teacher.

It is recommendedthat one or two adultsposition themselves

to monitor student actions.

It would be nice if one had a mirror on the south wall to observe the

students.

The activity should be donein a minimum of two sessions.

Introduce the basic conceptsin the first session.

Follow this with some drill.Then ask the students

to go home and practice.

The second sessionshould go over the concepts again and include some informal testing.

So lets begin

The phase of the moonis completely determined

by the angle betweenthe direction to the moon and

the direction to the sunas seen by the observer.

If they are in the same direction,we have a new moon:

If they are, in opposite directions,we have a full moon.

The first and third quarter moonsoccur when the angle

is a right angle.

New Moon1. The sun and the moon are in the same

direction.

2. The sun is further away than the moon.

3. Here on earth we see the front side of the moon which is dark.

4. Your head represents your position on earth.

5. Facing south, point your right hand south in an upward position of 45o with fingers open representing the suns rays.

6. Place your closed left hand (representing the moon) between your head and your right hand, the sun.

7. What time is this? Noon

New Moon

8. When does the new moon rise? sunrise

Rotate hands to this position.

9. When does the new moon set? sunset

Rotate hands to this position.

10. Where is the new moon at midnight?

Rotate your hands to this position while keeping your head pointing south.

Do we see it? No

New Moon

11. Where is the moon at mid afternoon?

southwest

12. If you knew that the new moon was located to the south east of you, what time would it be? mid morning

13. During what times is the new moon below the horizon?

All night, from sunset to sunrise.

New Moon

Full Moon

1. At full moon the sun and moon are in opposite directions so that the sun shines on the side of the moon that is facing earth.

2. The sun shines on the side of the moon that is facing earth.

3. Thus we see the front side of the moon which is light.

4. Once again let your right hand represent the sun.

5. Your left hand (representing the moon) should be aimed downward and backward so that it is on the opposite side of your head (earth) from the sun.

6. What time is this? Noon

Full Moon

7. When does the full moon rise? at sunset

Rotate hands to this position.

8. When does the full moon set?

at sunrise

Rotate hands to this position.

Full Moon

9. When does the full moon cross the local celestial meridian? midnight

10. During what times is it above the horizon? sunrise to sunset

11. Where will the full moon be located at mid morning? well below horizon in west

12. Where is the full moon halfway between midnight and sunrise? southwest

Full Moon

Etc.

1. When dealing with the new moon, we indicated that the sun and moon revolved around the earth together.

2. Yet as time goes by the moon is a little bit slow and will not make it back to the same position of the sun..

3. It will be to the left (east) of the sun. In 7 or 8 days it will fall ¼ circle behind.

First Quarter Moon

1. The beginning of the 1st quarter moon will have the sun overhead with the moon represent by a fist of ones left hand pointing to the left as shown at the right. 2. What time is

this? noon

3. When does the 1st quarter moon rise?

Rotate hands to this position.

4. What time does the 1st quarter moon rise? noon

5. When does the 1st quarter moon set?

midnight

Rotate hands to this position.

First Quarter Moon

Etc.1. When dealing with the new moon, we

indicated that the sun and moon revolved around the earth together.

2. As time goes by the moon fall further behind the sun. It is a 3rd quarter moon when the moon fall three-quarters behind the sun (or one-quarter ahead of the sun).

3. We will now use our left hand for the sun and our right fist for the moon.

Third Quarter Moon

1. The beginning of the 3rd quarter moon will have the sun overhead with the moon represent by a fist of ones right hand pointing to the right as shown. 2. What time is

this? noon

3. When does the 3rd quarter moon rise?

midnight

4. Rotate your hands to this position.

5. When does the 3rd quarter moon set?

noon

Rotate hands to this position.

Third Quarter Moon

6. When does the 3rd quarter moon cross the local celestial meridian? sunrise

7. During what times is it above the horizon? midnight to noon

8. What time is it when the 3rd quarter moon appears in the southeast? between sunrise and noon

Third Quarter Moon

Crescent Moons

1. The moon appears in the crescent phase whenever the angle with the sun is less than 90 degrees.

2. The waxing crescent moon appears to the left of the sun and is bright on the west side.

3. The waning crescent moon appears to the right of the sun. and is bright on the east side.

Crescent Moons

In the following questions assume that the crescent is 3-4 days away from the new moon.

4. When does the waxing crescent moon rise? mid morning

5. When does the waning crescent moon set? Mid afternoon

Crescent Moons6. Which crescent moon is in the southwest

at sunset? waxing

7. Which crescent moon crosses the local celestial meridian during the morning hours? waning

8. When and where would you look for the waxing crescent moon in a dark sky?after sunset in the west

Crescent Moons

9. Which crescent moon would you see at dawn? waning

10. Where is the waning crescent moon at sunset? below the horizon in the west

Gibbous Moons

1. The moon appears in the gibbous phase whenever the angle with the sun is more than 90 degrees.

2. It is waxing just shortly before full moon.

3. The waxing crescent moon trails the sun by more than 90o but less than 180o.

Gibbous Moons

In the following questions assume that the gibbous moon is 3-4 days away from the full moon.

4. When does the waxing gibbous moon set? mid morning

5. Which gibbous moon appears in the sky at sunset? waxing

Gibbous Moons

6. When and where would you look for a waning gibbous moon in a dark sky?

in the west before sunrise

7. Where is the waxing gibbous moon at midnight? southwest

Questions

New Moon Questions

1. Where is the NEW moon at midnight?On the other side of the earth from us.

2. If you knew that the NEW moon was located in the southeastern sky, what time is it? Midmorning (9am)

1st Quarter Moon Questions

3. When does the FIRST QUARTER moon cross the celestial meridian? sunset

4. If you see the FIRST QUARTER moon on the western horizon, what time is it? midnight

Full Moon Questions

5. When does the FULL moon cross the celestial meridian? midnight

6. During what time is the FULL moon above the horizon? Sunset to sunrise

3rd Quarter Moon Questions

7. When does the THIRD QUARTER moon rise? midnight

8. Where do you expect to see the THIRD QUARTER moon around mid-morning? southwestern sky

Crescent Moon Questions

9. Where does the waxing crescent moon rise? Mid-morning (9 am)

10. When does the waning crescent moon set? Mid-afternoon (3 pm)

Gibbous Moon Questions

11. When does the waning gibbous moon set? Midmorning (9am)

12. Which Gibbous moon appears in the sky at sunrise? Waning

That’s all folks!