“RAFT” JOURNAL: R – (Role) Astronaut

A – (Audience) People on Earth

F – (Format) A newspaper article

T – (Topic) Why the moon IS/IS NOT a great place to live

THE MOON’S MOTION

THE FACES OF THE MOON

• Rotates and revolves at the same rate

• We always see the same side

• Dark side is not same as the far side• They coincide at full moon

• Far side has many craters, but fewer maria

THE MOON’S WAXING PHASES

• Cycle begins at New Moon – moon is same direction as sun, cannot see it

• Waxing Crescent – thin sliver on the right side of the moon

• Cusps (“horns”) point away from sun

• Earthshine (light reflecting off of earth to the moon and back) illuminates the shadowed part

• First Quarter – terminator is straight up and down

• Waxing Gibbous – the growth of the lighted part of the moon between the first quarter and full moon

THE FULL MOON – HALF WAY THROUGH THE CYCLE

• Rising of the full moon = same time as setting of sun, and vice versa• Harvest Moon – helped farmers gather crops after sundown

• (Sept. in N. Hemisphere/March in S. Hemisphere)

• Hunter’s Moon – fields are clear of vegetation and hunters can spot game animals more easily

• (one month after harvest moon)

THE MOON’S WANING PHASES

• Waning Gibbous – darkness appears on the right side

• Last Quarter – terminator is straight and darkness covers the right side

• Waning Crescent – moon slowly goes out of sight

THE MOON’S ORBIT

• Elliptical• Perigree – closest

• Apogee - farthest

• Moving away• 3.8 centimeters per year

• Period (time to travel around Earth) of 29.5 days when viewed from earth

SOLAR ECLIPSES

• When the moon comes between the earth and the sun

• Total eclipse = when the moon covers the sun’s entire disk• Happens if the umbra (darker part of moon’s shadow) reaches earth’s surface

• Partial eclipse = when the moon covers part of the sun’s disk• Happens if the viewer is in the moon’s penumbra

• Annular eclipse = a ring-shaped portion of the sun’s disk shows around the moon• Happens at apogee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81on2EsR_kE#action=share

SOLAR ECLIPSE

• Baily’s beads – pinpoints of light caused by sunlight shining through valleys at the moon’s edge

• Diamond ring effect – when a bright bead of light is visible while the rest of the solar crescent remains thin

• The effect: sky is darkened, temperature drops, some bright stars become visible

• Totality lasts from an instant to 7.5 minutes

LUNAR ECLIPSE

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNi5UFpales

• When the moon passes into the earth’s shadow

• If it goes through earth’s umbra = total eclipse

• If it goes through earth’s penumbra = partial eclipse

• Longest time it can be in earth’s shadow is one hour and forty minutes, but time varies