Quarter Moon
We will begin the evening at Rainwater Observatory with a short overview of the night sky in the planetarium on site in the visitor's center. This should be a review of the information presented at the Sharpe Planetarium and in the Summer Sky webpage. After the overview, we will have a "Star Party" on the grounds of Rainwater. We will spend the early evening identifying summer constellations. We will use the star maps that were provided in the Summer Sky webpage. We will look for and identify the circumpolar constellations (Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) along with the main summer constellations (Aquila and Cygnus, the Swan). Then, taking advantage of an extremely dark sky, we will look for some of the other constellations visible at this time of year. These constellations include, but aren't limited to: Capricorn, Pegasus, Aries, and Pisces.
In addition, depending on the phase of the Moon or the visibility of any planets, we will use the on-site telescopes for observation. There is a misconception by some that the best time to observe the Moon is when it is full. But according to most observers, the best time is when the Moon is either in the quarter or crescent phase. At the time of the full Moon, light falls flatly on the face of the Moon and it is hard to see much detail. Most observers like to view the features of the Moon when they are near the "terminator" line (the line where light and dark meet). Notice in this picture of the Moon that the features that are near the terminator are easier to see and seem to have more details.
In addition, depending on the phase of the Moon or the visibility of any planets, we will use the on-site telescopes for observation. There is a misconception by some that the best time to observe the Moon is when it is full. But according to most observers, the best time is when the Moon is either in the quarter or crescent phase. At the time of the full Moon, light falls flatly on the face of the Moon and it is hard to see much detail. Most observers like to view the features of the Moon when they are near the "terminator" line (the line where light and dark meet). Notice in this picture of the Moon that the features that are near the terminator are easier to see and seem to have more details.
Mars
At the time of the writing of this webpage, the only planet that can be seen, well, in the night sky is Mars. On the night of August 26-27, 2003, Mars will be closer to the Earth than at any time in some 60,000 years, therefore also making it brighter. Whenever Mars passes closest to Earth (near opposition) and it is also nearest the Sun (perihelion), Mars becomes extremely bright to observers on Earth. This actually happens about every 15-17 years. This year Mars is closer (ever so slightly) than previous years and therefore brighter. If we were actually doing our field trip this summer, Mars would be a great morning object to observe from Rainwater. Other planets that make for good observing targets at other times of the year are Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and sometimes Mercury.
Seasons Lab
On the second day, we will begin our session in the morning. We will begin with a short introduction to seasons. We will then work in groups with flashlights and small globes simulating the movement of the Earth around the Sun. Using this modeling method, participants will be able to visualize what causes seasons. Students will then journal and draw what they observed. Students should observe that there are several reasons for seasons on Earth. These reasons are as follows: the tilt of the axis (23.5 degrees), the fact that at different times of the year the Earth receives more or less direct rays of the Sun and the rotation of the Earth around the Sun.
July 2003 Sunspot
Finally, we will have a short introduction to the Sun and sun spots. We will then go outside and observe sunspots using telescopes equipped with special filters for viewing the Sun. Sunspots are dark spots on the surface of the Sun which are cooler than the areas surrounding the spot. The temperature may measure approximately 3700 K within the center of sunspot as compared to 5700 K for the surrounding area. Sunspots typically last for several days, but some can last for several weeks. Sunspots normally occur in groups with two sets of spots. We know that these spots are extremely magnetic reaching strengths thousands of times stronger than the Earth's entire magnetic field. Sunspots are important because scientists track solar cycles by counting sunspots. Scientists have been documenting the number of sunspots since the early 1600's. Over the years, scientists have observed that there are periods where there seem to be a large number of sunspots, an active stage, and periods where there don't seem to be as many sun spots, an inactive stage. A period of solar inactivity near the middle of the 1600's was observed which corresponds to a cold climatic period called the "Little Ice Age". There is evidence that the sun has gone through similar periods of inactivity in the more distant past. Some scientists believe that sunspot inactivity may be in some way connected with other cold periods on Earth. The connection between climatic changes and solar inactivity is an area of on-going research for these scientists. Pictured here is sunspot 409, a sunspot that is active at the time of this writing (July 2003).
Next site on the trip.