In the Night Sky

1. A WebQuest for 2nd Grade Created by Mrs. Reynolds In the Night Sky

2. Introduction When the Sun dips below the horizon, the daytime is through. The heavens are darkened; We see the rise of the Moon. The stars and the planets come out to play and provide light for the Earth, until break of day.

3. Tasks The fuel cells of your Space ship are empty. You and your team must fill the fuel cells with facts about your assigned destination. Begin with the basic facts and add more interesting facts as you learn them.

4. The Process Click on your destination. The Web Navigator lead you to the Internet sites where you can find information about your subject.

5. The Moon • What is the moon? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/moon.html • How was the moon formed? • http://www.psi.edu/projects/moon/moon.html • http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q826.html • How big is the moon? How much does it weigh? • http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html • To learn more about the Moon click on the astronaut.

6. More about the Moon • What are the phases of the moon? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Phases.shtml • http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/the_moon.htm • How does the moon effect the tides on Earth? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Tides.shtml • How is the surface of the moon different from the surface of Earth? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/moon.htm

7. Man on the Moon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4 • When did man land on the moon? • What were the most famous words of the twentieth century? • How many lunar (moon) missions were there?

8. The Stars • What is a star? • http://membeht_a/bobalien99/stars.htm#WHAT%20IS%20A%20STAR • http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/the_stars.htm • How are stars born? How do stars die? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/lifecycle/ • What are the different kinds of stars? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/startypes.shtml • Why do stars twinkle? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/twinkle.shtml • How long does a star live? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/universe_level1/stars.html

9. Earth’s Closet Star • What is the closest star to the Earth? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/nearest.shtml • What did some people used to think the sun was? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/sun.html • What kind of star is the sun? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/sunten.htm

10. Things We Need to Know About the Sun • How far away is the sun from the Earth? • Is the Sun solid, liquid, or gaseous? • During what month is the Sun closest to the Earth? What month is it the farthest away? • Where is the Sun hottest? Where is the Sun coolest? • How old is the Sun? • Are sunspots hotter or colder than the surrounding areas? • What is a solar eclipse?

11. The Inner Planets • What are the Inner Planets? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/inner.htm • http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/The_Inner_Planets.htm • Clip on each planet to learn more. Mercury Venus Earth Mars

12. Mercury • When can Mercury be seen from Earth? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/mercury.html • How hot is Mercury? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/mercury/index.shtml • What does Mercury look like? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/mercorb.htm • How long is a day and a year on Mercury? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/mercury/mercuryday.shtm

13. Venus • Why is Venus called the Evening Star? • What is the temperature on Venus? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/venus.html • Why is Venus called Earth’s twin sister? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/venus.htm • How long is a day on Venus? How long is one year? • What is the atmosphere of Venus made of? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/venus/

14. Earth • Since we live on Earth we can’t see it in the night sky. But what does Earth look like from other places in space? Click on the celestial body to see Earth from other satellites.

15. Earth from the Moon

16. The Earth and Moon from Mars Moon Earth

17. Mars • What are the surface features of Mars? • How long is a day and a year on Mars? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/mars/ • What is the temperature like on Mars? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/mars.html • Where is the largest volcano in the Solar System? What is it called? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/marsten.htm

18. Asteroids and Meteors • What is an asteroid? What is the Asteroid Belt? Where is it? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/asteroid.htm • What is a meteor? Has the Earth ever been hit by a meteor? If so where? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/meteoroids.html

19. Comets • What is a comet? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/comets.html • What is the difference between a comet and a “shooting star”? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/meteoroids.html • What are the names of some famous comets? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/comets.htm • What happened when a comet hit Jupiter? • http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?image_id=21721&tour_id=14274

20. Things to know about Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets • What is the difference between an asteroid and a meteor? • How is a comet different from an asteroid or meteor? • When was Haley’s comet here last and when will it return?

21. Shoemaker-Levy 9 hits Jupiter • What happened when a comet broke up and hit Jupiter? • http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/

22. The Outer Planets • What are the Outer Planets? • How are they different from the Inner Planets? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/outer.htm • http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/the_outer_planets.htm

23. Jupiter • How far from the sun is Jupiter? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/jupiter_facts.html • Compared to Earth, how large is Jupiter? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/jupiter.html • What is the large red spot on Jupiter? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/jupspot.htm • What are Jupiter’s Galilean moons? Who discovered them? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/jupiter/

24. More questions about Jupiter • What happened when pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy comet hit the atmosphere of Jupiter? • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/jupiter_know.htm • http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?image_id=21721&tour_id=14274 • http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/ A necklace of SL-9 impact sites

25. Saturn • What is the planet Saturn made of? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/saturn.htm • How does Saturn’s fast spin affect its shape? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/saturn.html • How is Saturn’s density different from other planets? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/saturn/

26. Saturn’s Rings • What are the rings of Saturn made of? What do you need to see Saturn’s rings? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/saturn/ • How were the rings formed? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/saturn.html

27. Uranus • What gives Uranus its blue color? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/uranus/ • How is Uranus different from other planets? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/uranus.html • What is the effect of the tilt on the north and south poles of Uranus? • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/uranus.htm

28. Neptune • Why is Neptune called the twin of Uranus? http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/neptune.htm • How is Neptune’s moon Triton different from other Neptunian moons? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/neptune_know.html • How does the discovery of Neptune differ from the discovery of other planets? • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/neptune/index.shtml

29. Pluto the Dwarf Planet • How is Pluto different from the other Outer Planets? • What does Pluto look like in the largest telescopes on earth? • When was Pluto discovered? • How long does Pluto take to rotate once on its own axis? • Does Pluto have ice caps - like the planet Mars? • What is the name of Pluto’s moon? • When was Pluto's moon discovered? • How far away is the planet Pluto? • What is the natural color of Pluto? • http://www.the-planet-pluto.com/pluto-pictures.html • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/pluto/

30. Have you found the answers to these important questions? • How big is the object? (look for words like size, mass, diameter, etc.) • How long is a day? Or how long does it take to rotate on its axis? • How long is a year? How long does it take to go around the sun? • Does it have any moons?

31. Evaluation The Following Rubric will be used to Evaluate your Research

32. Research Part One • The celestial body’s name • Position in the Solar System • Its size, mass, gravity at the surface • Orbit around the sun • Length of year (how long it takes to go around the sun) • Length of a day (how long it takes to rotate on its axis)

33. Research Part Two • The planet's atmosphere • Temperature range • Internal composition • Moons • Rings • How a person would fare on the planet? • Discovery • Unusual features

34. Presentation is Everything! If everyone gets up and reads their fuel cell strips it will be boring!!! Here are some suggestions to liven things up: Lots of pictures, posters and graphs, a Power point presentation, music, a rap, a dance number, a song, a play, etc. Anything goes as long as you-- PRESENT THE FACTS

35. Conclusion Each night as we look into the sky we see the familiar moon and stars. As we study them we learn more about them and find out that there is so much more to know.

36. Credits • http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/ • http://www.astronomycafe.net/ • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/ • http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bobalien99/ • http://www.nineplanets.org/ • http://www.psi.edu/projects/ • http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/ • http://www.the-planet-pluto.com/pluto-pictures.html • http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/ • http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?image_id=21721&tour_id=14274 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4