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Tides – Week 5 Post

Tides are caused by the interaction between Earth, the Moon, and partially, the Sun. The gravitational pull of the Moon on Earth results in the oceans bulging in the direction of the Moon. There are 2 tide cycles each day: high tide and low tide.

 During new/full moon phases, when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in a line, the gravitational pull on Earth is strong, causing high tides called spring tides. The weaker neap tides occur when the Sun/Moon are perpendicular to each other during the 1st/3rd quarter moon phases.


Tides Review Videos

Review Video

Animation


Tides Activity

Tides Online Activity With Interactive Lab

Cumulative Review Video

This Song Offers Review For Week 3-5 Blog Posts.

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Eclipses – Week 4 Post

The Sun is 400X larger than the Moon, it is also 400X farther away from Earth than the moon. For this reason, the Moon/Sun appear to be the same size in the sky.

 Since the Moon and Sun appear to be the same size, the Moon completely covers the Sun during a total solar eclipse, leaving only the corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun visible. Total eclipses last from a few seconds to just over 7 min. They occur once every 2 years somewhere on the Earth. During solar eclipse, astronomers can safely study solar flares. Partial/annular eclipses occur when the Moon does not cover the entire disk of the Sun.

– Solar Eclipse: Results during a new moon, when the Moon, at one of its nodes, is directly between Earth and the Sun.

A total lunar eclipse results when the entire Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. If only parts of the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow, there is a partial lunar eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is barely visible since it is hidden in Earth’s shadow. Sunlight is bent by Earth’s atmosphere onto the Moon. The light is red for the same reason that the sunset is red: the shorter (bluer) wavelengths are scattered away by Earth’s atmosphere, leaving longer (redder) wavelength light to shine on the Moon.

– Lunar Eclipse: Results when Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon such that Earth casts its shadow on the surface of the Moon; the Moon must be at a node. 

Review Videos

Solar Eclipse Review

Lunar Eclipse Review

Interactive Lab

Try this Interactive Lab to “create” your own eclipse. Along with the lab, there are review questions on the web link you can try out 😉 .


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The Moon – Week 3 Post

The Phases of the Moon

The Moon revolves around Earth every 27.3 days. The Moon also takes 27.3 days to rotate. As a result, the same side of the Moon is always facing us. Like all bodies in the solar system, one side of the Moon is always illuminated by the Sun. However, this bright sight does not always face Earth. As a result, we see different amounts of the lit side at different times. Since the Moon is spherical, the illuminated portion is curved. A simple way to remember the phases of the Moon is to think of the lit side increasing from right to left across the surface of the Moon during the waxing phases and the dark side increasing from right to left during the waning phases.

Phases of the Moon

Instructions

How to read diagram: The diagram lists the phases of the Moon. However: Where does the diagram start? What’s the Moon’s first phase? Which way do we read the diagram?

Well, first, start at New Moon, then, read the diagram going clockwise starting with the “lower part.” So, the next phase of the Moon would be waxing crescent, then first quarter, and so forth.

Note: Last Quarter is also sometimes referred to as Third Quarter.


Review

If you would like to see the lunar cycle in action, here is a video: Animation of the Moon

If you need review, here is a video to help you do that: Lunar Cycle Video Review (Note that the video talks a little about eclipses. I will talk about eclipses in my next blog post 😉 )

Check out this interactive lab!

Check Your Understanding

Check your understanding with this Lunar Cycle Game


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The Big Splash Theory – Week 2 Post

The Big Splash Theory is the current theory that explains the formation of the Moon. This theory states that approximately 4.5 billion years ago, the Moon was formed as a result of an object approximately the size of Mars colliding with Earth, causing less dense portions to be blasted into space. The clash created high temperatures and pressures, which in turn caused denser materials (like Iron) to become part of the Earth’s core. The less dense materials were blasted into space adding to the material orbiting the Earth. These less dense portions gravitated toward each other, creating the Moon. Evidence supporting the Big Splash Theory came from rock and soil samples taken during the Apollo landings on the Moon. 

CLICK THE LINK FOR A VIDEO OF THE FORMATION OF THE MOON!!!!!

Visual Representation of The Big Splash Theory

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Our Solar System – Rotating Nebula Theory – Week 1 Post

For my first blog, I will be talking about the Formation of our Solar System.

Formation of the Solar System: Rotating Nebula Theory

The current leading theory is that our solar system began as a spread-out collection of dusts and gases. These particles likely came from the massive explosion of an older star called a supernova and moved closer together due to gravity. As the nebula collapsed, its internal pressure and temperature increased. As more particles were attracted to the nebula, the nebula continued to collapse under its own gravity. When the temperature and pressure inside this collapsing dust and gas cloud became great enough, complex reactions began. The reactions caused the release of large amounts of energy, creating massive explosions. At the core of our nebula, our Sun began to develop. In its early stages, the nebula began to rotate due to the condensing gaseous material. As the nebula collapsed under the force of gravity, its speed of rotation increased. Eventually, its speed of rotation became too great to hold all the matter together at the center, so much of the matter spread out from the center like a pancake. At the center, a bulge of matter remained and eventually formed the Sun. While the Sun was forming, protoplanets began to appear in the outer regions of the nebula. Small clumps of matter, forced together by gravity, that condense to form a planet. As the protoplanets formed into defined orbital paths around the Sun, they swept up much of the remaining debris, becoming bigger in the process. Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; also known as the outer planets; their atmospheres consist mainly of hydrogen and helium gases. The terrestrial planets formed when our young Sun flared up in a sudden burst of energy. This flare-up blasted most of the hydrogen/helium gases into the outer regions of the solar system, leaving denser chunks of solid matter behind. The terrestrial planets formed from the chunks of solid matter.

– Nebula: Refers to a collection of dusts and gases, consisting mainly of hydrogen and helium gases and, to a lesser extent, grains of solid matter such as iron, rock, and ice

– Supernova: A star in its final phases of life, when it explodes to many times its original size.

– Protoplanets: Small clumps of matter, forced together by gravity, that condense to form a planet.

Visual Representation of Rotating Nebula Theory

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Clinton’s Astronomy Blog – Introduction

My blog will be about Space Exploration. I will be talking about The Solar System, The Universe and its Stars, The Tools of the Astronomer, and Exploring Space. I want to talk about space because it is one of the most interesting branches of science. For me, I also love astronomy and space. In this blog, I wish to teach you about astronomy and rekindle your passion for science itself.