Posted: June 10th, 2015

A cow jumped over the Moon?

A cow jumped over the Moon?

What to Do:

Spend this summer session getting to know the Moon.
Part 1 Journal

Set aside some time each day to look at the Moon.
Record your observations in the log provided on the last page.
Once you have completed your observations for the whole session, answer the questions below.
Questions:
1.    Did the Moon look the same each day? If not, describe how it changed throughout the month.

2.    Did you see the Moon at the same time each day throughout the month? Was there a pattern to the time when you were able – or not able – to observe it? If so, please describe the pattern.

3.    Did anything ever prevent you from being able to see the Moon? If so, what? How could you figure out what the Moon would have looked like if you could have seen it?

4.    What do you think will happen to the Moon’s shape in the sky during the next week?

5.    Look up information on the phases of the Moon. Indicate in your Moon Observation Journal (on the last page) where you think the Moon most closely matched each of the following phases: New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter, when was it waxing, when was it waning.

Part 2 Surface features –observing survey

On a night that you get the best viewing conditions take a good look at the Moon.
If you have binoculars or a telescope take it with you.
Once you are settled in place, start by looking at the Moon without the binoculars.
Describe the surface features that you can see.  Do you see the bright highlands? The maria (large circular features that are dark)?
Follow up by looking through binoculars or telescope, if available.
Based on your observations fill in the table and mark the features you’ve observed on the map.

Part 3:  Moon surface survey
In this activity you will contribute to Moon surface research. You will help scientists analyze the images gathered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Go to: http://www.moonzoo.org/
To be able to complete the following procedures you must create and account. If you already have an account with zooniverse just log on. Use your name as user id and create a password. Once you created an account you must complete the training before you can analyze real pictures.
On the Moon Zoo welcome page follow the link “how to take part” and then go to tutorials.

Procedure:

Read the “Crater Survey Tutorial” and “Boulder Wars” tutorial tutorials and watch the videos. Follow up by going over the “Extended Crater Survey Tutorial”,  “Extended Boulder Wars Tutorial” and “Is there anything odd” further down the page. Study the images of various kinds of craters, bouldered terrain and odd features.

Go to the archived images and click “Boulder Wars” under “Play”.  Try to be as accurate as possible and carefully follow the instructions given by the scientist in the screencast.  You must analyze five pictures and send in your answers. Make a screenshot of each and paste it into the report. Please note, that you should only provide the picture you are investigating and not an image of your computer screen. So before pasting it into the report, please use Windows picture manager or another software package to crop the image appropriately.  You can also use rectangular snip of a Snipping Tool.

Craters:
Image    Many craters (Y/N)    Young white features (Y/N)    Boulders (Y/N)    Interesting features? (describe)    Picture
(insert for each image processed)
1
2
3
4
5

Boulders:
Image set    Many craters (Y/N)    Young white features (Y/N)    Boulders (Y/N)    Interesting features? (describe)    Picture
(insert for each image processed)
1
2
3
4
5

Go to “Explore Moon” and then go to “Lunar Geology”.  Read provided materials and then answer the following questions:

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Attach your completed Moon Observation Journal, the map and table 1 and submit on at the end of the summer session.
Table 1
A quick look at the Moon in the night sky – even without binoculars – shows light areas and dark areas. Can you find these features? Use the Moon map (above) to help!
Some of these features are too small to see with a naked eye you will need binoculars or a telescope to see them. It’s OK if you have no access to either, try the best you can to see what can be seen and mark the features you saw on the map.

I have seen it!    Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tanquilitatus) – Formed when a giant asteroid hit the Moon almost 4 billion years ago, this 500-mile wide dark, smooth, circular basin is the site of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969.

I have seen it!    Sea of Rains (Mare Imbrium) – Imbrium Basin is the largest basin on the Moon that was formed by a giant asteroid almost 4 billion years ago.

I have seen it!    Appenine Mountains (Montes Apenninus) – Did you know there are mountain ranges on the Moon? The rims of the craters and     basins rise high above the Moon’s surface. Apollo 15 astronauts worked in the shadow of Mons (Mount) Hadley, one of the peaks of the Montes Apenninus. Mons Hadley is over 2 and a half miles high!

I have seen it!    Copernicus Crater – A small, bright circle south of Imbrium Basin, with rays spreading up to 500 miles in all directions, marks Copernicus Crater.

I have seen it!    Sea of Serenity (Mare Serenitatis) – Apollo 17 astronauts sampled some of the oldest rocks on the Moon from edges of the Sea of Serenity. These ancient rocks formed in the Moon’s magma ocean.

I have seen it!    Tycho Crater – A bright star of material stands out on the light- colored lunar highlands of the Moon’s southern half. This is Tycho Crater, a 50 mile wide crater with ejecta rays stretching over 1200 miles.

I have seen it!    Lunar Highlands – The lighter areas on the Moon are the lunar highlands. These are the oldest regions on the Moon; they formed from the magma ocean. Because they are so old, they have been hit by impact craters many times, making the highlands very rough.

I have seen it!    Any other features: (describe)

Lunar Map