Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography
Lesson 7: Etruscan Vase Moonrise by John Stetson
John Stetson, Etruscan Vase Moonrise, Archival pigment inkjet print on cotton rag, 8 X 44 inches
Looking Questions:
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Describe what you see in this photograph.
Where do your eyes travel in this work? Explain your answer.
What is this image a picture of? Do you recognize the subject?
What do you think is taking place in this image?
Are you able to see this object every night in the sky?
This image involves a mirage. What is a mirage? What are some other mirages you have
seen?
When do you think this picture was taken? Explain your answer.
How does this image make you feel? Why?
Does this work remind you of anything?
What more would you like to know about this phenomenon?
The Photograph
Throughout history the moon has been seen as a source of fascination, lunacy, an object of
wonder, and played a pivotal role as to who we are. Moonlight has stirred human emotion
ever since we first looked up and saw the shining beacon in the night sky. Regarded as a deity, a spirit, a guiding light, or a reason for lunacy, this celestial object has been a thing of
wonder for thousands of years. Moonlight has played a key role in the way we have experienced the night sky. This image shows a time-lapse of a moonrise above the horizon. This
particular series of images shows a moon rising over a large body of water, which creates
the mirage dubbed by Jules Verne in his writings, as the Etruscan or Omega moon based on
its appearance. This phenomenon is caused by an atmospheric thermal inversion layer,
which the light is bent towards the viewer. When a moon is rising in the east at sunset or
setting in the west at sunrise, it exhibits a mirage known as the “Moon illusion”. As the
moon rises it appears reddish or orange due to the extra atmosphere the viewer must peer
through, but the reason for its colossal size still, from our earthly perspective, still remains
debated to this day. From the man on the moon to the howls of coyotes during a full moon,
the moon has always stirred human emotion.
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Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography
John Stetson, Etruscan Vase Moonrise, Archival pigment inkjet print on cotton rag, 8 X 44 inches
The Photographer
John Stetson has taught high school math, English, computer science, college
level photography, and has a solar observatory available for at risk youth in
southern Maine, where they observe and image every clear day. Over the past
twelve years, the solar observing has included building solar telescopes with
John Dobson (grinding, polishing, figuring), making white light observations
with pencil and paper, and making a 12 X 4 foot triptych of solar activity. In addition, it has included observing an annular eclipse, creating analemma, viewing the transit of Venus in June of 2004, observing crescent, pinhole images of a
partial eclipse, observing and imaging in H-alpha (observing prominences, filaments, flares, etc.), and capturing the ISS and various Space Shuttles transiting
the sun.
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K-12 Activities for Your School Visit and Classroom
Language Arts/History/Science/Visual Arts
Pre-Visit Activities:
 Word wrap: view the Etruscan Vase Moonrise and sitting in a circle, share the first word
that comes to mind when looking at this photograph.
 Create a poem using imagery that focuses on mirages.
 Discuss the fundamentals of the Iambic Pentameter poetry showing examples by
Shakespeare. Write a verse of this type of poetry in response to looking at this image
by John Stetson.
 Discuss elements of figurative language in poetry and how it is used as symbolism in
writing.
 Create a series of different poetic elements in response to this image, including personification, similes, and onomatopoeia.
 Have you ever seen your moon shadow? Describe your experience.
 Do you or have you ever seen the “Man on the Moon”? What does this expression
refer to? Can you identify it in this image?
Gallery Activities:
 In a sketchbook/journal, create a poem using personification in response to a photograph that includes the moon as the central focus.
 While viewing pictures of the moon in Starstruck, use a sketchbook/journal to create a
list of sensory reactions to the images.
 Compare and contrast two to three moon images in the Starstruck exhibit that share a
common feeling or tone.
 In a journal/notebook, list the other photos on display which have a mirage as its
central theme. Select one of them to compare to the work by Stetson.
 Find a work in the Michener’s permanent collection that has the moon or moonlight in
its subject. How is it similar or different to this work by Stetson?
Post-Visit Activities:
 In a group, write a poem using iambic pentameter style in response to one of the works
in the exhibition. Share your poem with the class.
 Discuss a particularly memorable moonrise or sunrise that you have personally experienced. Describe the atmosphere during this event.
 Create song lyrics that would accompany this photograph. To inspire you, research
song lyrics that focus on the moon, sun or stars.
 What other works has this photographer created? Research Stetson’s work and compare them to this image.
 Using the poem The Waning Moon by Percy Bysse Shelley as a model, use tone and
word choice to convey your feelings about the moon in John Stetson’s photograph. Discuss this with a classmate.
PA Core English Language Arts: CC1.4.4.A., CC1.4.4.B. , CC1.4.4.C. , CC1.4.4.E., CC1.4.4.F.,
CC1.4.4.G., CC1.4.4.H. CC.1.4.11-12.A, CC.1.4.11-12.E, CC.1.4.11-12.F, CC.1.4.11-12.G,
CC.1.4.11-12.H; PA State Standards in Science and Technology: 3.2.4.A, 3.2.4.B, 3.2.12.A,
3.2.12.B, 3.4.4.D, 3.4.12.D
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Writing Under the Moon
Grades: 7-12
Unit: Poetry
Interdisciplinary: Visual Arts/Language Arts/Science
Objectives: TSW create an original poem using Iambic Pentameter in response to
Etruscan Moon Sunrise by John Stetson
TSW use literary metaphors in their original work.
TSW be able to break down text or images and discuss tone.
Differentiation: Students can branch out and use symbolism of other celestial elements
(sun, stars, or other branches in nature such as rivers or mountains). Students can create a
song based on the image of choice, using iambic pentameter. Students can also explore
different styles of poetry, such as haiku, with the moon as the central theme.
PA Core English Language Arts: CC1.4.4.A., CC1.4.4.B. , CC1.4.4.C. , CC1.4.4.E., CC1.4.4.F.,
CC1.4.4.G., CC1.4.4.H. CC.1.4.11-12.A, CC.1.4.11-12.E, CC.1.4.11-12.F, CC.1.4.11-12.G,
CC.1.4.11-12.H
PA State Standards in Science and Technology: 3.2.4.A, 3.2.4.B, 3.2.12.A, 3.2.12.B
3.4.4.D, 3.4.12.D
Procedure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs
from that of a newspaper). (AS) Have the students all close their eyes, and ask them to visualize the person performing these actions then share their images with the class:
 The man bellowed (most will imagine a big, heavy man)
 The man shrieked (small skinny man)
Have a discussion on what is the difference between these two words which have similar
meanings.
Mini-lesson: Discuss the difference and similarities in feeling/tone in visual art and language arts. Use the work by John Stetson as the basis for your discussion.
 What is tone?
 How does the photographer convey feeling through the use of images in his work?
 How is it used in literature and visual art?
 How is tone in a poem and a work of art similar or different?
The tone of a literary work is the perspective or attitude that the author adopts
with regards to a specific main focus, character, place or development. Tone can portray a
variety of emotions ranging from solemn, grave, and critical to witty, wry and humorous.
Tone helps the reader ascertain the writer’s feelings towards a particular topic and this in
turn influences the reader’s understanding of the story.
In visual art, tone can refer to the feeling and emotion is conveyed through a
work of art. This feeling could be a viewer’s reaction to a certain element
used in the work (color, line, movement, etc.) and/or by its subject matter.
What kind of feeling is conveyed by Stetson’s work? Explain.
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Writing Under the Moon
Next, discuss how tone affect the meaning of these phrases. Read the phrases below.
Discuss students’ thoughts with the class:
 Love pierced his heart; love punctured his heart
 Their love burned; their love blazed
Read the poem: The Waning Moon by Percy Bysse Shelley
And like a dying lady, lean and pale,
Who totters forth, wrapp'd in a gauzy veil,
Out of her chamber, led by the insane
And feeble wanderings of her fading brain,
The moon arose up in the murky East,
A white and shapeless mass.
In discussion of this work, consider:
 Highlight words that have deeper meanings and list and share the words with the class.
 How do these words convey the author’s perspective or attitude about the moon?
 How do these specific word choices convey tone?
(P) Look at the photos presented in the Starstruck exhibit that contain the moon in their
subject matter. Have students respond by describing what they feel when they look at this
work in their journal. Discuss these responses in small groups. Using the poem above as a
model, use tone and word choice to convey your feelings about the moon in the photo. (C)
As a group or individually, compose your own poem based on the photo.
Assessment/Evaluation:
 Students successfully submit their constructed poem, using the required structure.
 Students have used the moon as the central symbol in their poetry.
 Participation in class discussion.
 Students share with the class about why they selected the words to convey tone and
imagery.
Supplemental Resources:
Moon Poetry
 http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moonwords/moonpoems.htm
 http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/moon/
“O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”
-William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet,” 1597
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