Download 1 -11 are Homework Questions for after Day 2

StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
Name__________________________________ Date ____________ Per_______ ST#______
Thank you to the Wayne County RESA for maintaining the StarLab, providing training this
summer, and loaning the StarLab to Frost.
Much of the info and training for this packet came from the StarLab website at Wayne
County RESA: http://www.resa.net/curriculum/curriculum/science/studentservices/starlab/
Horoscopes – 14 Aug 2012 – complete 3 questions at bottom of page for log questions
(obtained
from http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/aug/14/horoscope/). Here’s today’s horoscope: http://www.horoscope.com/
Definition: The term zodiac comes from Ancient Greek Zodiakos Kyklos and refers to a 'circle of the animals.'
AQUARIUS – water/cup bearer (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Your determination is impressive, though you easily could get
distracted by others and their needs. Your ability to concentrate comes through once more.
PISCES – fish (Feb. 19-March 20) Tap into your imagination for answers. Your unusual creativity comes through more
often than not.
ARIES – ram (March 21-April 19) Pressure builds with matters involving real estate and family. You simply cannot
juggle everything that keeps landing on your plate.
TAURUS – bull (April 20-May 20) You tend to say what you think and tell it as it is. You might not always be met with
agreement from others.
GEMINI – twins (May 21-June 20) Curb an innate insecurity that frequently rears its ugly head. This personality trait
can be extremely offensive to you, as well as to others.
CANCER – crab (June 21-July 22) You are on cruise control, with your magnetism peaking. You know what you want,
and you make good choices accordingly.
LEO – lion (July 23-Aug. 22) Take a backseat, whether you’re at home or at work. This role might not be natural for
you, but it is necessary. Take this time to realize what is happening around you.
VIRGO – virgin (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You put emphasis on success, networking and expanding your circle of friends. You
will see a child or new friend make a demand.
LIBRA – scales (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Others look to you for answers and resolution. You might not have the right
solutions at this moment, but you certainly are capable of finding them.
SCORPIO – scorpion (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Keep reaching out for someone at a distance. This person likely has important
information, if not helpful feedback. Someone pushes you toward his or her chosen direction.
SAGITTARIUS – centaur/archer (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You find that you are compatible with one particular person. For
many of you, it will be your pleasure.
CAPRICORN – horned goat (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Defer to others, as there seems to be little room for your ideas at the
present moment. Eventually there will be, especially if you do not force your presence on others.
Question 1: Does your horoscope seem to work for today? Explain why or why not: __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Question2: How many zodiac signs are there? ___________ With what do they match up? ____________________
Question 3: What is the name of the 13th zodiac sign that is normally left out? ______________________________
(this will be answered during the presentation on day 2, and can be found on page 6 of this packet)
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StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
November Evening Skies – Use the map on page 3 of this packet to complete questions 1-5 prior to going into
the Starlab. Questions 6-9 are homework after the presentation on day 1 ( _____________________)
The MSU planetarium’s map of the view of the stars notes that the picture is of the stars as they appear from the 40°
N latitude of the middle of Ohio. We are farther north, so in Livonia we are at 42.3683° N, 83.3528° W.
Question 1: What would the latitude be if you were exactly ½ way between the Equator and the North Pole?
______________________________.
Question 2: What does the 83. 3528° W mean about our position on the earth? __________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Question 3: Speaking of latitude and longitude, which lines are parallel to the equator?
_____________________________ Which ones are perpendicular? ___________________________________
Looking at the stars can be fun, but it’s not uncommon to see a satellite or two zipping by at 18,000 miles an hour or
more. Here’s the link for “Daily predictions for brighter satellites” http://www.heavensabove.com/allsats.aspx?Mag=3.5&lat=42.368328&lng=-84.736938&loc=White+Lake which shows us where to find
satellites on clear nights, plus how bright we can expect them to be on a scale of zero to 5. Look on the star map on
the next page and determine which numbers represents the brightest and dimmest objects in the sky (answer
question 4, below):
Question 4: Brightest __________________ Dimmest: ____________________
Question 5: Why do you think that they drew this map as though we were at 40° N latitude instead of drawing it
from the North Pole? Is there a difference in the stars that you can see from those two locations? Remember, the
earth does spin on its axis and revolve around the sun: ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Question 6 – additional info after the presentation: _________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Question 7 - M31 is a smudge in the night sky that you need binoculars to see in any detail. How many stars are in
M31? (read the text below and to the right of the picture on page 3)
______________________________________________________
Question 8 - Polaris is upside down near the center of the top half of the map on page 3. What is another name for
Polaris?______________________________________________________________________________________
Question 9 - Look at page 4. I know that you all like getting up before dawn on Saturdays. If you did that on this
Saturday, the 17th , where would you have to look to see Venus? ______________________________________
Note: You can get the MSU Abrams Planetarium’s sky calendar for 3 months at a time from the StarLab section of the RESA site
mentioned earlier, but it would be best if you took the address off of the copy that I have attached to this packet and pay the $11
for an annual subscription. ( http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/ , then choose “Sky Calendar” link.)
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The lessons in the dome - #1 -11 are Homework Questions for after Day 2 –these questions will
be answered as we go along (essentially my lesson plan)
1. Look at the starfield cylinder with the North Pole pointing upward. Discuss the big and little dippers – Ursa Major
and Ursa Minor. Also, note Orion’s belt and sword (3 stars – point toward Sirius, the dog star, which is bright
with a ring around it in our dome, but no ring in real life. The 3 stars also point to Pleiades, “The 7 Sisters” star
cluster). The 2 stars at the end of the big dipper point toward the North Star, and the same 2 stars point to Leo in
the other direction.
2. Animate the cylinder, determine the location of Polaris. ____________________________________________.
Discuss the meaning of the circumpolar motion we are seeing. Explain it here __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Swap the constellation cylinder back and forth with the starfield so that students can get used to finding Polaris
and the other items from #1. Also note Cygnus, which is the Northern Cross in the summer sky, but looked like a
__________________ to the ancients.
4. Make note of the Milky Way. Where are we in the Milky Way? ______________________________________
5. Discuss the signs of the zodiac. Note the orange line on the cylinder to
indicate the annual travel of the _____________, which is how the
Zodiac is defined.
“As the Earth orbits the sun, the sun appears to pass in front of
different constellations. Much like the moon appears in a slightly
different place in the sky each night, the location of the sun relative
to distant background stars drifts in an easterly direction from day to
day. It’s not that the sun is actually moving. The motion is entirely an
illusion caused by the Earth’s own motion around our star.”
6. Remind students that the signs come by in order, and that we wouldn’t
get to see them all from here if the earth didn’t tilt on its axis (23.4 degrees, right now). Explain the issue with
the signs of the Zodiac no longer being visible in the same spots in the
“correct” months. Use this site: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-zodiac
We have a wobble that changes the tilt of our axis of rotation, and it takes
26,000 years to complete the full path of the wobble and start to repeat it
again. “Since we tie our calendar (and astrologers tie the signs) to the
solstices and equinoxes, the Earth does not actually complete an entire
orbit in one year. The seasonal or tropical year is actually a hair less time
than one full orbit (sidereal year). This means that, each year, where the
sun is relative to the stars on any given day—June 21, for example—drifts
a very tiny amount. Wait about 2000 years, and the sun will be sitting in
an entirely different constellation!
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StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
On the June solstice 2000 years ago, the sun was sitting almost halfway between Gemini and
Cancer. On this year’s June solstice, the sun will be sitting between Gemini and Taurus. In the year
4609, the June solstice point will pass out of the constellation Taurus and into the constellation
Aries.”
“To complicate matters more, the constellations – unlike the astrological signs – are not of equal
size and shape. The stars that make up a constellation are not, for the most part, physically related.
The constellations are just patterns that our ancestors saw as they gazed skyward and tried to make
sense of it all. Today’s constellations are specific to ancient Greek culture. Most of them were
introduced by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century (who in turn borrowed them from
ancient Babylonian texts). Different cultures have seen patterns in the sky unique to their history.
Some constellations are shared by many cultures (Orion is a notable example), but most are not.”
“The modern constellation boundaries weren’t defined until 1930 by the International Astronomical
Union. With the current boundaries, there are actually thirteen constellations that lie along the
sun’s path. The extra one not listed in any horoscope is Ophiucus, the Serpent Bearer, who sits
between Sagittarius and Scorpius.”
7. Have students learn to locate “their” constellation with the constellation drum, then swap back and forth to see
if they can find it again with the starfield. Note the difficulty in doing so with the 3000 stars in the Starlab. Show
the stars/Zodiac using the projector as well – note the differing shapes. Note that Castor and Pollux are the 2
bright stars in Gemini. (What does Gemini mean? ________________________________)
8. Review – from the North Pole, what is the apparent motion of the stars relative to the earth?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Review – from Michigan, what is the apparent motion of the stars?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Why did I write “apparent motion” for the previous 2 questions?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
11. What motions are actually occurring to you as you sit on this planet right now?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
Resources for your own use - (thank you Mr. Pearson and Mr. Chinavare for helping to get these together)
General Stargazing Note: *** All Michigan Stargazing subject the Whims of the "Cumulus Gyp-us Cloud" Gods ***
Definition --- Cumulus Gyp-us Clouds: The obstructions that WILL invariably form over Michigan WHENEVER
there are ANY Significant Astronomical events occurring in the Heavens above, sometimes partially clearing
... strategically... at JUST the precise moment or area of the sky, to render one with ONLY the slightest,
minimal fleeting glimpse of what it was they are ACTUALLY missing.
Just a few Quick Reference Big Dipper Links (Orion and others too):
http://www.synapticsystems.com/sky/learnsky.html
http://kvmagruder.net/bcp/aster/general/dipper.htm
http://www.almanac.com/content/stargazing-finding-stars-and-constellations
http://starryskies.com/articles/dln/4-97/dipper.time.html
Betelgeuse is the Red Star in Orion, Antares is the Red Star in Scorpius (Astrology = Scorpio)
http://my.execpc.com/60/B3/culp/astronomy/Summer/scorpius.html
http://my.execpc.com/60/B3/culp/astronomy/
Leonid Meteor Shower (Peaks this Week) "Leonids are expected to show two peaks of activity, one on Saturday
morning (Nov. 17) and another on Tuesday morning (Nov. 20)."
http://www.space.com/18434-leonid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week.html
Solar Eclipse Nov. 13, not visible here, but noteworthy:
http://www.space.com/18453-total-solar-eclipse-2012-stages-explained.html
A partial Lunar eclipse will be visible here (low in the sky) on Nov. 28
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/solar-eclipse-lunar-eclipse-november-2012_n_2081755.html
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2012-Fig06.pdf
Also of note NEXT year (NOVEMBER 2013): Could be the Comet of a Lifetime:
http://www.space.com/17762-newfound-comet-dazzling-2013-display-c2012s1.html
Comets’ brightnesses are extremely unpredictable, can be brilliant or can be a dud, uncertainty due to:
(1) Orbit
(2) Composition (icy ones spew off more "crap" {a good thing for the "Coolness Factor"} than Rocky ones
when heated by the sun)
(3) Position relative to us (Earth) at perihelion, BUT this one looks VERY promising as this "might" be the
same one that was known as the "The GREAT Comet of 1680". Too early to predict since the discovery of the
comet is recent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Comet_of_1680
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StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
Zodiac:
http://school.eb.com/all/search?query=zodiac
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall07/Bhimani/thezodiac/zodiacsigns.html
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/Zodiac.html
http://nuclear.ucdavis.edu/~rpicha/personal/astrology/index.html
http://members.bitstream.net/~bunlion/bpi/Sign.html (meanings of Zodiac signs)
Constellations:
http://school.eb.com/search?query=constellations
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worlds/constellations.html
Objectives:
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Differentiate between folklore/traditions and scientific studies
Understand our position in the Milky Way (Earth lies about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center in the
midst of a galaxy 1,000 light-years thick. From this position, about halfway out on Orion–Cygnus Arm)
Have a clearer understanding of latitude and longitude
Understand how the tilt of the earth’s axis impacts the stars that we see
Understand our motion on earth (earth spins on axis, orbit sun, hurtle through Milky Way Galaxy, Milky Way
Galaxy charging outward through the Universe)
Lesson Plans for day 1 and day 2
Day 1 - Classwork:
1. Obtain this packet and “Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth or Stars In The Sky” article.
2. Log questions - page 1 – “Horoscope”
3. Prior to entering starlab – page 2 – “November Evening Skies” – questions 1-5
Day 1 - Homework:
1. Finish questions 6-9 on page 2 of packet (for day 2)
2. Read pages 5-6 of the packet and answer as many questions as possible, be prepared to ask for help on day 2
3. Use page 9 of packet to complete comparison summary of “Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On
Earth or Stars In The Sky” – due after day 2 lesson is complete and the remainder of page 9 is done.
Day 2 – Classwork
1. Log: Which planets can be seen in the nighttime sky on the Month of November at our latitude?
___________________________________________________
2. Discuss log, help with day 1 homework issues, go over selected questions.
3. Use starfield and constellations to “find your own constellation” in the starfield. (not easy)
4. Review remainder of questions in packet. Show StarWalk app on iPad.
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StarLab Lessons – Mar 2014
5. Collect summary/opinion questions on page 9 (also accepted as on time tomorrow).
Wrap Up - Answer the following questions and tear this sheet off so that I can look at it after day 2.
Read the article that will be handed out on day 1 and write a comparison summary of the article – due on _______.
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After we are done with the lessons on day 2, complete the following questions:
What was your favorite part of the lessons with the StarLab?
Day 1: _________________________________________________________________________________
Day 2: _________________________________________________________________________________
What part(s) needed more explanation?
Day 1: _________________________________________________________________________________
Day 2: _________________________________________________________________________________
If I use this again in two years, what should I skip or do differently?
Day 1: _________________________________________________________________________________
Day 2: _________________________________________________________________________________
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