Teacher's Guide for:

Our Place in Space

OBJECTIVES:

• To see the diversity of the planets in our Solar System.
• To find a few of the constellations in our current night sky.
• To discover why our Moon appears to change shape or phase.
• To see what factors come into play for us to observe both a lunar and a solar eclipse
• To see two of the effects of the changing seasons 

This show conforms to the following state science standards:  12.F.1a, 12.F.1b, 12.F.2a, 12.F.2b, 12.F.2c, 12.F. 3a, 12.F.3b

From "our place in space," on the Earth, we can observe many things in the night sky.   As the Sun sets in our planetarium dome, we play "connect the dots" and observe a few of the more well-known constellations.   But we notice that some points of light in the sky move over time.  We look at our current planets visible from your yard tonight and then examine the changing phases of our Moon.. Emphasis here is on how the Moon appears depending upon our viewing perspective.  We end the program predicting where the Sun will rise and then see how the sunrise position depends on the time of year that we are watching.  We then see the paths of the Sun during the first days of winter, summer, spring and fall and we can count the Suns to determine how many daylight hours we'll have on those days.   Due to time constraints, focus is on what we see rather than a full explanation of the phenomena.    

Since this is a live show, the teacher is encouraged to make requests depending on what his or her class is focusing on. The show thrives on interaction between the presenter and the students.

1. Discuss with the class what events we can see in the sky from our backyards.   Your list may include the Sun's apparent motion across the sky and the changing shape of the Moon.  
2. Ascertain student misconceptions regarding phases of the Moon. Ask why the Moon seems to change shape?  You find that many will maintain that the dark part of the Moon is the Earth's shadow. A trip outside during a third quarter Moon (when the Moon can be seen in the daytime) will let the student see where the Moon is and that their shadow is behind them, away from the Sun. Similarly, the Earth's shadow is always opposite the Sun. 
3. Discuss how the planets are similar/different. A fun way might be to construct travel brochures for potential excursions to the planets. A trip to the library is a good first stop!
4. Discuss why it is cold in the winter or hot in the summer.   A typical answer is that the Earth is closer to the Sun in the summer . . . .which makes perfect sense . .. but actually the opposite is true!   Work in a discussion about the length of a day.   The students have certainly noticed that it's usually dark before dinner time in the winter but they may have to go to bed in the summer before it gets dark. 

1. Construct a scale model of the Solar System showing the sizes and distances to the planets. You will be surprised how much empty space is out there!  It is easy to model one or the other (distance and planet size) but very difficult to do both in the same model.   Parkland College has a solar system model that is outside and just across the perimeter drive from the planetarium.  The Sun is a 38-inch diameter iron ball.  Consider walking from the Sun to the planet Mars during your visit!   A brochure on the model and some other activities can be found here. 
2. Model the Moon phases by letting each student "be" the Earth. This could be done individually by constructing Moons for everyone (styrofoam balls on tongue depressors or ping pong balls glued to golf tees work nicely) or by letting one student be the Moon and one be the Earth. Use a light source (lamp without the shade) in a dark room.  As the Moon moves around the Earth (you!), you can see it change phase.   You can also position the Moon so that it blocks out the light source (solar eclipse) or so that it falls in your shadow (lunar eclipse). 
3. Construct a "Lunar Log" by making drawings of the Moon noting its phase and position.  A simple sheet with circles and places for a date and time of observation works great.   Be sure to instruct students if they are shading in the lighted side they see or the dark side. 
4. Construct a pneumonic to remember the names and the order of the planets.   We used to use My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, back when Pluto was considered a planet.  Come up with a new one!   The easy way is to substitube "nachos" for "nine pizzas!"  And while we're on the topic . . . how does the class feel about dropping Pluto from the ranks of "planet."   Was it a good move?  Why or why not?   Look up the modern defnition of planet and see if you'd change anything. 
5. Construct a mission to a nearby planet. The planet itself can be a beach ball with construction paper mountains, cities, and other landscapes attached. Place the ball far from the classroom. Look at the ball with a telescope. What questions are raised? What do we want to find out about this new world? Have students then devise a mission consisting of a student with a polaroid camera. What will the mission objectives be? How will we design the craft and supply power to it? Send the student to the planet and then examine the photographs. What new questions arise? Do you send a second mission? In this manner, students see what decisions NASA must go through in directing planetary exploration.
6. If you have a sunny window, tape an "X" on the window so that it casts a shadow on the floor.  What the shadow over several hours.  What's happening (Earth's rotation)?   If you do this near the start of the school year and then once before break, the path made by the Sun won't be the same.   When is it higher in the sky?   Lower?   You can also measure the lengh of a shadow of something like a telephone or light pole.  You can also note the times of sunrise and sunset in the newspaper - are they the same all year around? 
7. The reason is it hot in the summer is 1) we have more hours of daylight and 2) the sun tracks higher in the sky.   You can show this with a simple flashlight.   If the flashlight shines on a desk or the floor from nearly straight above the surface (high in the sky) the light is the most concentrated on the ground.   If the flashlight shines at a very low angle, the light is spread over the surface and is much less concentrated, hence the ground does not heat up as much in the winter.
8. When is the next eclipse?   And will we be able to see it from Central Illinois?   Check out Fred Espenak's web page in resources below and get probably more information than you'll ever need!  

INTERNET RESOURCES:

"Ask Starman" send email to: dleake@parkland.edu 
Working group on astronomical education: http:www.aas.org/~wgae  
Peoria's scale Solar System model: http://bradley.bradley.edu/~dware/index.html  
Abram's Sky Calendar: http://pads1.pa.msu.edu/abrams/home.html  
Current space missions: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov  
Solar System tour: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/pub/billa/tnp/nineplanets.html
Moon phases:  http://www.googol.com/moon
NASA's Eclipse home page (from Fred Espenak):  http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html