Astronomy Lab needs in 4 hours

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

Monitoring  the  Moving  Constellations   Adapted  from  Engaging  in  Astronomical  Inquiry,  by  Tim  &  Stephanie  Slater  

Big  Idea   Sky objects have properties, locations, and predictable patterns of movements that can be observed and described.

Goal   You will conduct a series of inquiries about the position and motion of constellations using prescribed Internet simulations and learn how different stars are visible at different times of the year in different locations in the sky.

Setup     Go to http://www.heavens-above.com/

a) Click the Change your observing location link under Configuration and set your observing location and time zone. Click the Update button when complete.

b) Click the Sky Chart link under Astronomy

c) NOTICE that the star charts are set such that north is toward the top and west is to the right, which is different than a map of the United States.

Phase  I:    Exploration     1) Locate the position of the Sun on your sky map. If the Sun is not visible, change the time

until it is above the southwestern horizon (it doesn’t have to be exactly at sunset, just ensure the Sun is above the horizon and is visible on your map). If you were to go outside at this (simulated) time, could you see these stars shown on the map? Explain why or why not.

2) Which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to?

3) If you increase the time by one hour, remembering to use a 24-hour clock, toward which direction does the Sun move? Circle one: North | South | East | West

4) Now, 1 hour later than when you started, which constellation is the Sun now closest to?

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

5) If you advance the time to Sunset, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to at Sunset?

6) Advance the time to Sunrise, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to at Sunrise?

7) What generalization statement, in a complete sentence, can you make about how the Sun and the stars appear to move together in the sky?

 

Phase  II  –  Does  the  Evidence  Match  the  Conclusion?   Consider the research question, “Which direction does the Sun move compared to the background constellations?

8) Set the star map to noon today. If you could see the stars hidden behind the brilliantly shining Sun, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to?

9) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to tomorrow?

10) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to one week later?

11) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to two weeks from now?

12) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to three weeks from now?

13) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to one month from now?

14) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to two months from now?

15) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to three months from now?

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________ 16) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to six months from now?

17) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to nine months from now?

18) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to one year from now?

19) Using the sky chart, which constellation of stars is the Sun closest to two years from now?

20) If a student proposed a generalization that “the constellations seem to slowly drift westward compared to the position of the Sun, with the Sun covering constellations at a rate of about one per week,” would you agree, disagree with the generalization based on the evidence you collected by analyzing the pattern of how the Sun’s position changes compared to the constellations? Explain your reasoning and provide evidence either from the above questions or from evidence you yourself generate using the star map program.

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

Phase  III  –  What  Conclusions  Can  You  Draw  From  the  Evidence?   21) Orion is a prominent constellation visible in the wintertime, usually being hidden by the

shining Sun in the summer. What conclusions and generalizations can you make from the following data collected by a student in terms of how the WHEN IS ORION VISIBLE DIRECTLY ABOVE THE SOUTHERN HORIZON? Explain your reasoning and provide evidence to support your reasoning.

Date Time above Southern Horizon

Azimuth (west = 270°)

22) Direction

October 1 6:00 am 180° South

November 1 4:00 am 180° South

December 1 1:00 am 180° South

January 1 11:00 pm (2300 hrs) 180° South

February 1 9:00 pm (2100 hrs) 180° South

Evidence collected in standard time from http://www.heavens-above.com/ for Baltimore, MD

23) Evidence-based Conclusion:

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

Phase  IV  –  What  Evidence  Do  You  Need?   Imagine your team has been assigned the task of writing a news brief for your favorite news blog about when one of your team member’s horoscope birth sign is covered by the Sun. Describe precisely what evidence you would physically need to collect in order to answer the research question of, “Over what precise period of time is my horoscope birth sign being covered by the Sun and is thus unable to be observed?” You do not need to actually complete the steps in the procedure you are writing.

24) Create a detailed, step-by-step description of evidence that needs to be collected and a complete explanation of how this could be done—not just “look and see what constellation the Sun is nearby,” but exactly what would someone need to physically do, step-by-step, to accomplish this. For this exercise, pretend that the answer is nowhere to be found on the Internet, your computer, or in any book. How would you pull this off?

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

Phase   V   –   Formulate   a   Question,   Pursue   Evidence,   and   Justify   Your  Conclusion   Your task is design an answerable research question, propose a plan to pursue evidence, collect data using heavens-above (or another suitable source pre-approved by your lab instructor), and create an evidence-based conclusion about some motion or position in the sky for the constellations which you have not completed before.

Specific Research Question:

Step-by-Step Procedure to Collect Evidence:

Data Table and/or Results:

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________ Evidence-based Conclusion Statement:

Name: ______________________ Collaborator(s): ______________________

Date: ______________________

Phase  IV  –  Summary   Create a 50-word summary, in your own words, that describes which constellations are visible at night and how this changes over the night and over the year. Feel free to create and label sketches to illustrate your response.