After figuring out why we see the sunrise and sunset, it seemed natural for us to explore patterns with something else that appears in the Earth's sky--the Moon!
We had lots of questions around seeing the moon during the day and its changing shape. After much modeling both as tables and as a whole class, we're starting to put some pieces together with the patterns that have emerged.
1. Something is only visible if there's light on it and that light can come back to our eyes (like a person on the Earth).
2. Since the moon isn't a light source, it needs to be illuminated by the Sun in order to see it, and if we're going to see it from the Earth, then there needs to be a clear path between the two.
3. Only half the moon gets lit at a time, just like half the Earth.
Through much trial and error...we figured it out! We know exactly where the moon can be in order to see it from the Earth both during the day and the night!
Check out our 3D and 2D models below.
We had lots of questions around seeing the moon during the day and its changing shape. After much modeling both as tables and as a whole class, we're starting to put some pieces together with the patterns that have emerged.
1. Something is only visible if there's light on it and that light can come back to our eyes (like a person on the Earth).
2. Since the moon isn't a light source, it needs to be illuminated by the Sun in order to see it, and if we're going to see it from the Earth, then there needs to be a clear path between the two.
3. Only half the moon gets lit at a time, just like half the Earth.
Through much trial and error...we figured it out! We know exactly where the moon can be in order to see it from the Earth both during the day and the night!
Check out our 3D and 2D models below.
We're naturally asking now about how the moon changes shape...since we know why we see it, we're not really sure why it appears full sometimes, and waxing or waning other times!