Name(s): _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ Date: __________________ Grade: __________________ Course/Section: __________________ The Moon Objectives: The goal of this lab is for students to observe basic features on the Moon and develop
a basic understanding of the causes of some features. Checklist: □ Complete the pre-­‐lab quiz with your team (if required). □ Compile a list of resources you expect to use in the lab. □ Work with your team to complete the lab exercises and activities. □ Record your results and mark which resources you used. □ Share and discuss your results with the rest of the class. □ Determine if your team’s answers are reasonable. □ Submit an observation request for next week (if required). Pre-­‐Lab Quiz Record your group's answers to each question, along with your reasoning. These concepts will be relevant later in this lab exercise. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Part 1: Observing the Moon 1. In the table below, describe what each feature looks like, how it is formed, and give an example of
such a feature. You will find the linked websites on the lab webpage useful.
Lunar Feature
Mare (sea)
Description
How is it formed?
Terra
Crater
Mons (mountain)
Rille (rima)
Fault (rupes, scarp)
Catena
Dorsa
2. What moon phase is it tonight? What side of the moon is illuminated?
Example
3. Pick two surface features for observing through the telescope using the Lunar 100 card and the list
on the Observatorio Arval website. Determine how large the surface features are from the Arval list.
4. What is the altitude and azimuth of the moon tonight?
5. At what time will the moon be on the meridian?
6. Make a sketch of the lunar surface as you see it through the telescope. Be sure to identify the surface
features from Question 3. Try to identify other notable surface features.
7. Draw and label the terminator and lunar north, south, east, and west on your sketch.
Part 2: Moon Phases Using the phases of the Moon from the lab website, label the positions of each phase in the diagram below by name and by what order in which they occur. Start with the New Moon as '1'. The moon's orbit is counter-­‐
clockwise in this image. Label the moon phases in the image below and mark them in order of occurrence. Check to make sure your ordering corresponds with the order you gave in the previous diagram. Materials reproduced from the Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska-­‐Lincoln Web Site (http://astro.unl.edu).
Telling Time with the Moon Phases Fill in the table below and then check your answers using the Moon Phases demo on the website. Moon Phase Rising Time Meridian Transit Time Setting Time New Moon 12 pm Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon 12 am Waning Gibbous Third Quarter Waning Crescent 1. You see a waning gibbous moon rising, what time of day is it? 2. You see a third quarter moon setting, what time of day is it? 3. If it were 3 pm, what moon phase is directly above you (transiting the meridian)? 4. If it were 3 am, what moon phase would you see setting? 5. If today is a full moon, how long until it is a full moon again (in days)? 6. If the moon is 5° above the ecliptic, how long will it take for the moon to return to this position (in days)?