FBS EXPERT STEAM EXPLORER
Topic: Solar Eclipse
Student Name:_________________________
Grade:_________________________
Welcome STEAM EXPLORER! You are an astronomer in training who will learn about how the
special relationship between the sun, moon, and Earth allows a solar eclipse to occur
approximately once every 12 to 18 months. You will learn more about the 2017 solar eclipse
and its impact on different parts of the continental United States on Monday, August 21st,
2017. You can research words related to a solar eclipse to complete a crossword puzzle. You
also have the option to construct a Pinhole Projector that was used to view eclipses before
special glasses and lenses were invented. You will be amazed by the eclipse phenomenon.
ACTIVITY I: HOW CAN THE MOON CAUSE A SOLAR ECLIPSE?
Did you ever notice that sometimes when we see the faint image of the moon in the bright
blue sky during the day, the sun and moon can look like they are close in size? The reason for
this is that even though the sun’s diameter is 400 times bigger than the moon’s diameter, the
sun is also 400 times farther away from the Earth compared to the moon’s distance from
Earth. This special relationship between the Earth, moon, and sun allows a solar eclipse to
happen once every 12 to 18 months. During a solar eclipse, When the moon completely
covers the sun, called totality, we can see the corona of the sun, the surface and atmosphere
of the sun. Here are two videos you can watch that explains how a solar eclipse happens.
1. http://nj.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.totaleclipse/total-solareclipse-animation/
2. http://nj.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.eclipse/solar-eclipses/
Now that you have a better understanding of how a solar eclipse happens, here are two
websites that show you the path of the 2017 summer eclipse.
Path of the 2017 eclipse seen from the moon:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4321
Path of the 2017 eclipse in the United States:
http://www.space.com/35065-2017-total-solar-eclipse-visible-in-united-states-find-outwhere-video.html
This third interactive website below allows you to investigate the type of eclipse you will see at
each location in the country, the start and end time of the eclipse, and the length of the
eclipse. It also shows the path of totality. Interactive map:
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html
This last interactive website allows you to see what the eclipse will look like from different
locations in the United States. You will need to download and launch the NASA’s Eyes App on
to your computer.
http://eyes.jpl.nasa.gov/eyes-on-eclipse.html
To experience what it is like to see a real total solar eclipse, watch this beautiful video of the
2009 solar eclipse in Varanasi, India.
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=27559&CategoryID=2825
ACTIVITY 2: THE SPECIAL ECLIPSE PHENOMENON
Since the moon orbits the Earth in approximately 29.5 days and a new moon takes place once
during that time, why does the Earth only experience a solar eclipse once every 12 to 18
months? The answer has to do with how often the Earth, moon, and sun can line up together
and how far the moon is from the Earth. The moon’s orbit path around the Earth is 5 degrees
off from the orbit path of the Earth around the sun. This decreases the chance of them lining
up to a maximum of twice in the Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun. The distance of the
moon from the Earth also changes throughout its monthly orbit. Watch these two videos to
get a more detailed explanation of this occurrence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qog18tiNnqg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgbK2FZFFdw
Can you believe that approximately 600 million years from now, no one on Earth will be able
to view a total eclipse because the moon will have moved far enough away from Earth that it
is unable to cast an umbra shadow onto the Earth’s surface? Now you can explore how the 5
degrees tilt of the orbit of the moon compared to the orbit of the Earth affects the occurrence
of the solar eclipse using this interactive website:
http://highered.mheducation.com/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=swf::640::480::/sites/dl/free/0
07299181x/220730/eclipse_interactive.swf::Eclipse%20Interactive
ACTIVITY 3: ECLIPSE CROSSWORD
(Source: www.aaq.org.au Astronomical Association Queensland) Use the internet to research the
words below, and then complete the crossword on the next page with these words.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: HOW TO MAKE A PINHOLE PROJECTOR
Long before specialized lenses were used to view a solar eclipse, students had to construct
pinhole projectors to safely view a solar eclipse on an image paper. You will need a cardboard
box or cardboard tube for this activity. When you are done and ready to use your projector,
remember to view the sun on the image paper. Never directly look at the sun because it can
damage your eyes. Here are two websites that explain how to build a pinhole projector:
http://kidseclipse.com/pages/a1b3c4d1.htm
http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/chasing-venus/teachers/lessonplan9.htm