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OBSERVE THE MOON NIGHT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION Highland Road Park Observatory 19 September 2015, 7pm to 10pm The following exercises, meant for adults and high schoolers, can all be performed tonight and are each stand-alone. [1] Note the pattern of stars about thirty degrees to the Moon’s left. This is the “teapot”, a famous asterism (pattern) in the constellation Sagittarius. This portion of sky contains a rich portion of the Milky Way Galaxy, which would be visible from Baton Rouge if the light pollution were eradicated. [2] If your eyes are sharp and the “seeing” is good, you may notice a quite bright, magnitude one star about nine degrees to the lower left of the Moon. This is Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is an M-class star; a binocular will enhance its fiery orange-red tint. [3] Hold a coin at arm’s length and hold it next to the half-lit Moon. How do the sizes compare? Try the experiment with a different coin. [4] During this three-hour event the Moon will traverse the sky in an arc. Because of this, the angle of the Moon’s lit side will change. Even if you don’t stay at HRPO, compare the angle of the Moon at 7:30pm to that of 9:30pm. [5] Ask yourself why the Moon always travels in the southern half of our sky. Would it travel in the southern half of sky as seen from Gulfport or Pensacola? How about a town in South Africa or Australia?