This presentation ……

1. This presentation …… • Can be used by the public, any school, group, provided credit is given to FSU Planetarium. • May be downloaded and copied freely. • Is written in Microsoft Power Point so many operating systems can view it. Advance by pressing Enter or the Space Bar or Arrows • If you see any need for corrections, please contact Dr. Doyle at rdoyle@frostburg.edu

2. Frostburg State Planetarium presents Fall 2014 Sky Sights for Primary Grades & Beginners by Dr. Bob Doyle Next Version: January 2015

3. Big Topics Treated • Horizon, Finding directions, Sunrise/Sunset • How Day Sky Works, Twilight AM & PM • Moon basics, Made of what? Lady in moon? • Bright points at night? Fall 2014 Planets • Best Stars & Groups Seen on Fall Evenings • 3 Built in Mini Quizzes with answers supplied • Fall ‘14 Moon Schedule, Planet & * Table

4. Horizon & Directions • When looking at sky, we may view ½ of universe! • The Horizon is line between ground and sky. • 4 directions along horizon – North, East, South & West. To learn, say Never Eat Slimy Worms! • North is direction your shadow points in mid day. • East is about where sun rises each morning. • South is where sun is highest in sky (in mid day) • West is about where sun sets in late afternoon.

5. Whydoes SunRise & Set? • For thousands of years, humans believed that sun & sky objects moved about Earth every day! • In the 1500’s, Copernicus proposed that the Earth itself was moving, not the sky objects! • Copernicus wrote that the Earth was spinning every day and orbiting the sun every year! • It took over a century until most were convinced that Copernicus was correct (thanks to Newton). • The Earth spins so the sun seems to rise and set.

6. Let’s review these ideas • What is the line between ground & sky? • Is it Ground line? Horizon? Edge of sky? • In what direction do shadows point in mid day? • Is it North? East? South? or West? • Why does sun seem to rise and set? • Because Sun is moving? Earth is spinning? • Write down your answers for these questions. • Answers are: Horizon, North & Earth is spinning

7. How Day Sky Works • Sun, our day star is so bright that it lights up air, causing it to glow blue on a clear day. • As Earth turns, sun seems to rise in morning • Due to our turning, sun slowly rolls right. • Sun peaks 1 pm in October, Noon in Nov. & Dec. • Sun sets near direction West as we turn. • To find North, face where sun goes down and extend your right arm out, points North.

8. Twilight or Dusk? • When sun disappears from our view, the air overhead is still ‘seeing’ sun and glowing. • As we turn more away from sun, only very thin, very high air still lit & sky gets darker. • This time is twilight or dusk, lasts an hour. • During dusk, bright planets, stars show 1st. • By end of dusk, bright star groups seen. • Just as dusk after sunset, dawn before sunrise.

9. What about Moon? • Our moon is a ball of rock that orbits Earth. • Moon ¼ as big as Earth; if Earth a regular globe (1 ft.wide), moon is a tennis ball. • If Earth is regular globe, moon is 30 ft.away • As moon orbits us, we see day & night sides • In evening, lighted side ‘grows’ for 12 days • Then moon is full, shining all thru the night • Then in morning sky, moon ‘shrinks’ for 12 days • Moon’s lighted shapes change as we see its lighted side; its dark side blends in with the night sky

10. Half full moon shows craters near its straight edge where sun there is rising or setting.

11. Just a little bit more about Moon • The moon NOT a big cheese ball! (Sorry!) • Man/lady/rabbit in moon due to dark plains • Dark plains of hard lava, good to land there • Over 40 yrs. ago, 1st men walked on moon • Perhaps in 2020’s, manned fly arounds • Current rockets can’t carry people, new rockets needed, U.S., China or Russia to try

12. Another review of ideas.. • As you face sunset, what points North? • Back of Head? Right arm (out)? Left ear? • If Earth 1 ft. wide, how far away is moon? • Is it 10 feet? 30 feet? 100 feet? 300 feet? • How long does moon ‘grow’ or ‘shrink’? • Is it A week? A dozen days? A month? • Write down your answers to above 3 questions. • Answers: Right arm (out), 30 feet, Dozen days

13. Bright steady points at night? • Even the nearest planets appear as * (points) as we see them with our eyes; for even these objects very far away (moon=1 unit). Venus 100x farther. • To tell a planet from a star, all night stars twinkle and planets usually shine steady. • Also satellites (especially Space Station) shine steadily as creep eastward across sky • Night stars are distant suns, really, really far away compared to our planet neighbors. • If Earth penny size, moon 22” away, sun 730 ft. away (6.3 ft. wide), nearest star is 37,000 mi.away

14. Fall 2014 Planets • Tell planet from bright * by planet’s steady light • First number is month number / 2nd is date • All Fall, dim Mars seen low in Western dusk • Bright Jupiter seen at dawn all thru the Fall • In late December, Jupiter in late even. E sky

15. Best planet to see in Fall 2014 Jupiter seen in Late evening sky In Dec. Jupiter seen in in predawn sky East E

16. Jupiter as seen From spaceprobe with Great Red Spot shown by brackets

17. Easy Fall Stars & Groups • Evening: Big Dipper below North Star • 2 right Dipper stars point upward to N. Star • Vega is brightest evening star in the West • In Northeast is bright golden star Capella • Right of Capella, 7 Sisters & * Aldeberan

18. B. Dipper & N. * on Fall Evenings North Star Pointers

19. Summer Triangle as seen inFall Western evening sky Deneb Vega Altair

20. Capella, 7 Sisters & Aldebaranin the East on Fall Evenings Capella 7 Sisters Aldebaran

21. Let’s review once more… • How to tell a planet from a star? • Planet always brighter Planet shines steady • Best Evening Planet this fall? • Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn • Which part of Big Dipper points to N.Star? • End of Scoop or Arch of Dipper’s Handle • Write down your answers • Answers: Planet shines steady, Venus, Scoop

22. Frequently asked questions • What are falling stars? (Aka shooting stars) • Nearly all are pea sized space grit burning up in our upper atmosphere. Only dust left. • Can the planets line up like beads on string? • No, orbits are tilted but even if they could, pull is extremely weak, compared to our moon. • What keeps stars, planets floating in sky? • There’s no up/down in space. Earth floats too!

23. Fall 2014 Moon Schedule • Full Moon 10/8 (Dawn Lunar Eclipse) • Mid Oct. ½ Morn. Moon (craters) 10/15 • Late Oct. ½ Even. Moon (craters) 10/31 • Full moon 11/6; then shrinks, seen in morn. • Mid Nov. ½ Morn. Moon (craters) 11/14 • Late Nov. ½ Even. Moon (craters) 11/29 • Full Moon 12/6: then shrinks, seen in morn. • Mid Dec. ½ Morn. Moon (craters) 12/14

24. When evening moon looks like a ‘D’, the sun is rising along left edge, lighting up the crater rims and mountains. This ‘D’ moon allows you to see craters & mountains with binoculars held steadily or with a small telescope on tripod (better). A week after the moon is full, you can see it In the morning day sky, as a backwards ‘D’. Even during the morning hours, you can see the craters & mountains on moon with binocular or a small telescope. Never look at SUN!

25. Send any sky questions to…. • Bob Doyle email rdoyle@frostburg.edu • Be sure that questions involve basics about sky, moon, planets and stars