Distant Nature: Astronomy Exercises
Objectives
In this exercise, you will observe the Moon in its orbit around the Earth and the changes in the Moon's illumination as its position relative to the Earth and the Sun changes over time. Also you will observe the difference between the Moon's Orbital (Sidereal) period and its Synodic Period.
The orbital period of an object is the time it takes the object to repeat its motion. Nicolaus Copernicus realized that since the Earth is also moving, and the Earth is where we make most of our observations, there are two periods for the moon, each planet, and for each solar system object.
The Sidereal Period is time for an object to finish one complete orbit relative to the stars. Sidereal means "with respect to the stars".
The Synodic Period is the time between two identical configurations of the object as viewed from Earth. For the Moon, this would be the time from one full Moon to the next full Moon.
Equipment/Materials Needed
Stellarium, calculator.
Subject Introduction
As the Moon's position changes relative to the Earth and Sun, in its
orbit around the Earth, its illumination changes in what is referred to as the
Phases of the Moon. Most of us have seen these phases on clear nights, but many
may not understand what causes this phenomenon.
Earth's Moon