Post by Beau Halloran on Jul 6, 2012 2:08:37 GMT -5
Moon Phases
Approximately 4.527 billion years ago, the Moon was formed from broken off pieces of our Earth. Back then, it looked nothing like it does now, but that's where all those billions of years come in.
No matter what culture, the moon holds some sort of significance. Most people revere the moon and look to it for guidance, even if that guidance is only for light on an otherwise dark night.
This month, we are going to study the moon, or, specifically, moon phases. The full moon is the most popular and well known one, but there is actually a label for each individual phase. Observe the images below:
credit (c) www.thealmightyguru.com
Let's start at the New Moon. Inbetween the New Moon, which is unviewable as that side is temporarily dark to Earth, and the First Quarter, which is only half visible, with the left side being dark, is what is referred to as the Waxing Crescent. The Waxing Gibbous takes place inbetween the First Quarter and the Full Moon. Between the Full Moon, which is, obviously, fully viewable, and the Last Quarter, which is a half moon with the right side dark, is the Waning Gibbous. Inbetween the Last Quarter and the next New Moon is the Waning Crescent. I don't expect you to get that all at once; feel free to study your Astronomy 101 textbooks to better understand.A full lunar cycle takes approximately 29.5 days, and a full lunar orbit takes approximately 27.3 days. The moon actually used to orbit much faster than it does now, but early on, it slowed down. The side that faces Earth is called the near side, and the opposite is referred to as either the far side, or the 'dark side'. The latter is misgiving, though; the far side is lit up as often as the near side is. In fact, its the near side that occasionally becomes dark, as once every lunar day it goes through its new moon phase and becomes basically invisible.
There is much superstition in the Muggle World over the different phases of the moon, though in general such beliefs are discarded more and more recently as scientific thought takes hold. We in the wizarding world, however, know the true facts: the different phases can influence the making of potions, for one, and even children know the power a full moon can hold over a werecreature.
Your Assignment
Years 1-4:
Go out one night this month and observe the moon. You may use the Lunascope on my desk to look over the moon phases for July; please keep in mind weather conditions, as well. Clear skies are predicted for the next ten days, but after that you will need to check here for a close-to-accurate weather reading -- failure to do the assignment because the sky was too cloudy the night you went out will not be tolerated. Your assignment is to draw the moon as you see it the night you choose to observe. Label it as the phase it most closely adheres to, and be sure to add the location you observed from, and the date you observed on. You do not have permission to leave school grounds for this assignment, but curfew may be broken.
Years 4-7:
Same as years 1-4, but add in any prominent stars or constellations you see around the moon. (This link will help you see the sky exactly as it would appear from around Madrid, Spain.) Label whatever you can but don't go overboard; extra credit will be given for effort as well as accuracy.Assignment is due July 27th. Late assignments will only be given half credit.