So while we figured out what gets the moon to appear different colors, we weren't quite sure why the moon appears different shapes. Like why is it full sometimes and only a small sliver other moments?
We made some predictions, and got all kinds of ideas!
We made some predictions, and got all kinds of ideas!
Despite our conflicting responses, we decided to build a physical model to help us. We know that the Earth, Sun, and Moon are involved in getting the Moon to appear differently, so we did the following:
1. Turned ourselves into the Earth!
2. Used the Google Meet Screen as the Sun!
3. Turned our pencil erasers into the moon by shading in half of the eraser dark (remember that one half of the moon is receiving sunlight while the other is dark)!
1. Turned ourselves into the Earth!
2. Used the Google Meet Screen as the Sun!
3. Turned our pencil erasers into the moon by shading in half of the eraser dark (remember that one half of the moon is receiving sunlight while the other is dark)!
By turning ourselves around, we saw the patterns emerge as day and night. When we threw the moon up in the "sky" and turned our pencil erasers, aka the Moon, into the right position, we began to see the moon phases emerge. What an "aha!" moment we all had! We even saw where the moon had to be for us to see it during the daytime (like Mrs. Brinza's kids saw that one time during lunch outside last year).
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