Sky Science Class Notes.pdf

Sky Science Class Notes Students will: 1. Recognize that the Sun and stars emit the light by which they are seen and that most other bodies in space, including Earth’s Moon, planets and their moons, comets, and asteroids, are seen by reflected light. 2. Describe the location and movement of individual stars and groups of stars (constellations) as they move through the night sky. 3. Recognize that the apparent movement of objects in the night sky is regular and predictable, and explain how this apparent movement is related to Earth’s rotation. 4. Understand that the Sun should never be viewed directly, nor by use of simple telescopes or filters, and that safe viewing requires appropriate methods and safety precautions. 5. Construct and use a device for plotting the apparent movement of the Sun over the course of a day; e.g., construct and use a sundial or shadow stick. Curricular Objectives 6. Describe seasonal changes in the length of the day and night and in the angle of the Sun above the horizon. 7. Recognize that the Moon’s phases are regular and predictable, and describe the cycle of its phases. 8. Illustrate the phases of the Moon in drawings and by using improvised models. An improvised model might involve such things as a table lamp and a sponge ball. 9. Recognize that the other seven known planets, which revolve around the Sun, have characteristics and surface conditions that are different from Earth; and identify examples of those differences. 10. Recognize that not only Earth, but other planets, have moons; and identify examples of similarities and differences in the characteristics of those moons. 11. Identify technologies and procedures by which knowledge, about planets and other objects in the night sky, has been gathered. 12. Understand that Earth, the Sun and the Moon are part of a solar system that occupies only a tiny part of the known universe. What is a Comet? A comet or “hairy star” is a celestial body that is usually in an elliptical or