Astronomy

Common Core State Standard

CT Science Standards: 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.3
Common Core Standards: RI (Reading Standards for Informational Text): grades 3-5(1,2,3,5,7) and RF (Reading Standards for Foundational Skills): grades 2-5(4)

The Penny Moon – What’s That?

Written by Noreen Grice, Travelers Science Dome Planetarium

Hold a penny toward the Moon. What color is the Moon? What color is the penny? Imagine that the Moon could take on the same color as the penny, but just for a
short time. It can, and it’s an amazing event that happens a couple of times a year, but you have be on the night side of Earth to see it.

Think back to the last time you were outside on a sunny day. Did you see your shadow? People, objects and animals can have shadows on Earth. And objects in space
cast shadows, too.

The Moon travels about the Earth as the Earth travels about the Sun. Planets, moons and even asteroids can cast shadows in space from the bright light of the Sun.

Sometimes, the Full Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. When that happens, we see a lunar eclipse. If the Moon passes through the center (or darkest) part of
the Earth’s shadow, we can witness a total lunar eclipse. As sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, blue light is scattered away, leaving a red shadow. That’s
how the Moon can take on a coppery-red color, just like a penny!

North America will witness a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014. The eclipse begins when the Full Moon enters the edge of the Earth’s shadow at 12:52 a.m. (East-
ern Daylight Time). You may need a telescope or binoculars to see the first “contact” between the Earth’s shadow and the Moon.

As the Moon continues to move into Earth’s shadow, it will be easy to observe just with your eyes. By 3:06 a.m. (EDT), the Moon should be completely in Earth’s
shadow; this is called “totality.” If there happens to be a lot of dust in the atmosphere, say from a volcanic eruption, the Moon may take on a very dark grayish-blue
color. Otherwise, it will look more like a penny in the sky!

It will take about one hour and 18 minutes for the Moon to travel through the darkest part of the shadow. Then one edge of the Moon will begin to brighten as it
continues moving, back through Earth’s lighter shadow. This sky show continues until around sunrise.

If you have school the next day, you might want to set your alarm clock for about 3:30 a.m. (EDT) so you can take a quick peek
before heading back to bed. If you miss this one you’ll have to wait over a year to see another total lunar eclipse from start to
finish from New England.

Did You Know Fun Things To

Aristotle, a philosopher in ancient Greece,
predicted that the Earth was round by observ-
ing total lunar eclipses. He figured if the Earth
cast a round shadow, then the Earth was
probably also round.
Make the Moon Phases!
1 You can make a classroom model of an eclipse with a Styrofoam ball on a stick, a flashlight and
a classmate. The ball on the stick represents the Moon. The head of the person holding the stick is
Earth. The other person holds the flashlight, which represents the Sun.
2 The “Earth” person holds the ball on a stick with their arm straight out and holds the ball above
their head. Turn off the classroom lights; then the Sun person turns on the flashlight.

3 Begin
Have fun!
by simulating the phases of the Moon. The Earth person keeps their arm extended and
holds the ball above his/her head as he/she turns to the left in a circle. The Earth person
watches the light on the ball grow and shrink, just like the phases of the Moon. Notice that
the Moon is most lit when it is opposite the Sun (Full Moon) and most in darkness (as seen
from Earth) when it is closest to the Sun at New Moon phase.

4 Because the Moon ball was above the Earth, it never entered Earth’s shadow. Now, the Earth person lines
up the ball with their head, but keeps their arm extended. When the Moon is between Earth and Sun and
lined up with Earth, it casts a small shadow on Earth. Ask classmates to watch and observe the Moon’s
shadow on the Earth. This is a solar eclipse.

5 The Earth person now turns halfway so their back faces the Sun. The Moon is now completely in Earth’s
shadow. This is the total lunar eclipse. Take turns representing the Earth and Moon so everyone can see
the Moon’s phases and eclipses for themselves!