Division II (Grade 4-6)
Division II (Grade 4-6)
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💫 Observing objects in space.
Astronomical phenomena can be observed using a variety of technologies like: - binoculars - telescopes - planetariums.
🪐 The Planets 🪐
There are 8 planets in our solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Pluto is considered a dwarf planet along with Eris, Ceres, Makemake and Haumea.
SUN
The Dwarf planets are smaller than earth's moon
"We are the planets" this is a fun StoryBots song about the planets.
One of our students made this model to demonstrate the different amounts of time it takes for each of the planets to rotate around the Sun.
Thanks Lucas.
solar system planets rotation.mkv🔆 Don't stare at the sun!
The Sun should never be viewed directly or using simple telescopes or filters. 😵
When you stare directly at the sun—or other types of bright light such as a welding torch—ultraviolet light floods your retina, burning exposed tissue. Short-term damage can include sunburn of the cornea. Ouch!
🌌 Constellations -
The recognizable patterns of stars are called constellations. https://mrgrantclass.weebly.com/sky-science.html
There are 88 constellations recognized by the IAU . •Constellation names and meanings.
☆The North Star- 🌟Polaris, shows the approximate direction of the North Pole. The Orion constellation can be used to find the South Pole. educational-resources/hands-on-activities/how-can-i-tell-which-way-north-night
Historically, people noticed groups of stars and created patterns out of them for purposes like navigation and tracking the passage of time.
Star Clock- Try this Activity -create a big dipper clock
The location of the Big dipper through the seasons. (In the evening.)
Space is 3-D •. Even though stars in a constellation appear to be on the same plane their distances vary greatly. Stars also differ a lot in size & brightness.
If you'd like to know how astronomers measure how far stars are away click here. windows2universe.org/kids_space/star_dist.html
Astronomical measurements- Astronomers use parallax to measure distances to nearby stars. Parallax is the apparent displacement of an object against the background.
Constellations have names from a variety of sources. The names of ancient constellations mostly come from Greek and Roman mythology, while recent constellations are named after scientific instruments and animals.
Here are some Native American Star Mythology http://www.native-languages.org/legends-star.htm
Aboriginal calendars- THIRTEEN MOONS Curriculum.
☔️ Seasons of the year- The tilt of Earth causes the seasons. When the North Pole tilts toward the Sun it is summer and when it tilts away from the Sun it's winter.
🌔 The Moon's Phases.
Have you ever noticed that the Moon appears to change shape each night. The different shapes are called the Moon’s phases. These are the 8 moon phases.
🌑 New
🌒 Waxing Crescent
🌓 First Quarter
🌔 Waxing Gibbous
🌕 Full
🌖 Waning Gibbous
🌗 Third Quarter
🌘 Waning Crescent
The Moon takes about 29.5 days to complete one cycle
the Dark-side of the moon- We only ever see one side of the moon because it is tidally locked with the earth. This means that the moon has the same rotational period as its orbital period around the earth.
🗓Calendars- The Moon has been used to measure time throughout history. The international standard (Gregorian calendar) is based on the amount of time it takes Earth to revolve around the Sun.
Lunar calendars follow patterns of the Moon for timekeeping.
Many cultures have unique observations of astronomical phenomena that are connected to time, place, and daily life.
TRACKING THE SEASONS - Solstice & Equinox
TRACKING THE SEASONS - Solstice & Equinox
Across time, people have marked the changing of seasons— And used the Sun and the Moon as sort of a calendar, tracking the Sun’s path across the sky.
SOLSTICE : When the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon.
SOLSTICE : When the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon.
Summer solstice occurs near June 21 (longest day of the year)
Winter solstice occurs near December 21 (shortest day)
EQUINOX: When the Sun crosses the equator, day and night are of equal length.
EQUINOX: When the Sun crosses the equator, day and night are of equal length.
Happens two times a year (once in spring & once in autumn)
Usually lands on or about March 21 and September 23.
early civilizations created accurate ways to predict the equinox
◉ Eclipses
lunar eclipse - A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. Which happens only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned.
solar eclipse - A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring Earth's view of the Sun, totally or partially.
Learn more about eclipses with this Eclipse Crash Course Astronomy video.
🌃 Northern lights (aurora borealis)
The Northern lights are caused by Solar storms. Electrically charged particles from the Sun collide with the Earth. (Most are deflected away) but some become captured in the Earth’s magnetic field. The green we see is characteristic of oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.
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