Kin Esthetic Astronomy
Kin Esthetic Astronomy
Kin Esthetic Astronomy
14. Who Can See Orion When? –Worksheet & Answer Key ST 20 – ST 21
ST 1
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? [p 1 of 3]
1. Draw arrows to connect each box with the correct place on planet Earth.
____ Earth
____ Moon
____ Sun
4. Order the objects below from closest (1) to farthest (3) from Earth
____ Sun
____ Moon
____ North Star
6. How do you think people kept track of time before the invention of clocks,
watches, and numbered calendars? What is a day? What is a year?
7. If it is noon where you are, what time is it on the opposite side of Earth?
ST 2
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? [p 2 of 3]
8. How does the Sun appear to move in the sky during the day? Draw the
path of the Sun on the diagram below.
9. Why do you think the Sun appears to rise in the East and set in the West?
ST 3
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? [p 3 of 3]
12. How many trips around the Sun have you made in your life? ___________
13. Write “summer” next to the sun that represents noon time in the summer.
Write “winter” next to the sun that represents noon time in the winter.
16. Do we see the same stars and constellations at different times of year?
Circle one: YES NO
Explain (use drawings if it helps you to explain):
ST 4
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
SCALE MODEL OF THE SUN, EARTH AND MOON Here are images that show the
Adapted from the Family Guide to the Sun
relative size of Earth compared
to the Sun. In reality these
objects are 10 billion times
wider. This page is too small to
Sun show the proper scale distance
from Earth to the Sun - that part
is up to you!
Moon Earth
ST 5
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
Answer: Alpha Centauri would be 2500 miles away in this scale model – like having the cut-
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
out Sun in California and the cut-out star in New York! There’s lots of space in space!
Name: ____________________
The Sun is a _________ located at the center of our _________________. Our home,
Earth has one _________ that orbits around it each month, showing different phases.
Some planets have many __________ that ___________ around them. Mercury and
Venus have no moons. In addition to the Sun, planets, and moons the Solar System
Sometimes these smaller objects collide with the larger objects. Most meteors are
between the size of a grain of sand and a peanut, but they can make a bright streak
across the sky as they travel through Earth's atmosphere. In 1994, astronomers all
over the world watched a comet break up and impact the atmosphere of the largest
planet in the Solar System called ____________. Our __________ is one of about
Astronomers are just now discovering Jupiter-sized ____________ that orbit around
some of those distant stars. Outer space is even bigger yet because the Milky Way is
______________!
ST 6
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
BODY GEOGRAPHY
DIRECTIONS:
1. Label the North and South Poles by filling in the boxes shown
2. Fill in the “E” and “W” signs in the students’ hands
3. Draw the Equator on each student
ST 7
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
A. Write the correct times of day for the boy rotating below
Choose from: SUNRISE, SUNSET, NOON or MIDNIGHT
movement __________________.
rotational period.
ST 8
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
N
Earth turns about its own axis. We call
ST 9
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
THE “DATING” GAME
Use the diagram below to fill in the 10 blanks about the kinesthetic times of day and year.
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
6. What is the time along a line down the middle CHALLENGE: Can you also answer questions 1-7 for the GIRL?
of his back?
BONUS: What is the season on the girl’s lower back?
_________________________
______________________________
7. What is the season on his upper back (China)?
_________________________
ST 10
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
KINESTHETIC SEASONS Name: __________________
Layout adapted from the Family Guide to the Sun
Earth takes one year to orbit the Sun. 1. Pretend your body is Earth in orbit around the Sun. Let a helium
Earth’s orbit is nearly circular. balloon be the Sun.
So, Earth is about the same distance from the 2. The top of your head is Earth’s North Pole. Pick a direction toward the
Sun no matter the season (summer, fall, North Star (Polaris). Tilt toward Polaris 23.5º like the kids below.
winter, spring).
SO WHY IS IT COLDER IN WINTER? 3. Try to rotate around your axis and “orbit” the Sun while keeping your
head pointed toward Polaris.
Spring
Summer Winter
Fall
________________________ ________________________
The hemisphere which is leaning away from the Sun is in
winter. The Sun appears lower in the sky, giving fewer
What is the season at the girl’s What is the season at the
daylight hours and so less time to heat the planet’s surface. upper back (China)? boy’s belly (South America)?
This causes colder temperatures. ST 11
________________________ ________________________
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
This means fewer daylight When the Sun is lower in the sky, the Sun’s rays come in
hours. The Sun is up for from a lower angle. This causes the intensity of the light
less time and so there is to be less because its energy is spread out over a larger
less time to heat Earth’s area. On the other hand, when the Sun is higher in the
surface. sky, the same amount of light energy would be more
focused on a smaller area, making its intensity greater.
ST 12
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
This means more daylight When the Sun is higher in the sky, the Sun’s rays shine
hours. The Sun is up for down on us more directly and we feel a greater intensity of
more time and so there is sunlight. On the other hand, when the Sun is lower in the
more time to heat Earth’s sky, the Sun’s rays come in at a lower angle and are
surface. spread out over a larger area so that we feel less intensity
of sunlight.
ST 13
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
Planet Earth ____________ once around its axis every _______ hours. We call this
period of time a __________. There are _________ days in a _____________. It takes
one year for Earth to ____________ once around the __________. If I am _________
years old [enter your own age], then I have made __________ trips around the Sun
during my life [enter your own answer].
Earth’s orbit around the Sun traces out an almost perfect _____________. Thus the
distance between the Sun and Earth does not change very much over the course of a
year. So the reason that temperatures are _____________ in the summer and
_____________ in the winter is the tilt of Earth’s rotation axis. Earth’s seasons are
NOT caused by being closer or farther from the Sun.
Earth’s rotation axis is tilted ________ degrees toward a distant star called
_________________ (the North Star). As Earth moves around the Sun, Earth’s North
Pole stays pointed toward this star, which is 500 light-years from our solar system.
Earth’s axis remains tilted toward Polaris, but how Earth is leaning relative to the Sun
changes as Earth moves in its orbit around the Sun.
When Earth is located on one side of the Sun, the tilt causes the Northern Hemisphere
to be leaning toward the Sun. When Earth is on the opposite side of the Sun, this same
___________ toward Polaris causes the Northern Hemisphere to be leaning away from
the Sun. When the Northern Hemisphere is leaning toward the Sun, the season is
_______________ in the _______________ Hemisphere and winter in the Southern
Hemisphere. When the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the Sun, the season
is _________________ in the Northern ______________ and summer in the
_______________ Hemisphere.
ST 14
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
When we are leaning away from the Sun, as in the season of _____________, the Sun
appears ____________ [higher/lower] in the sky. This means the Sun will spend
_____________ [less/more] time above the horizons (rising later and setting earlier),
and thus there will be fewer daylight hours and less time to warm Earth. The day of the
year with the _____________ [least/most] daylight hours is December 21st, the first day
of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere). This day is also called the winter solstice.
When we are leaning toward the Sun, as in the season of ______________, the Sun
appears _________________ [higher/lower] in the sky. This means the Sun will spend
_____________ [less/more] time above the horizons (rising earlier and setting later),
and thus there will be more daylight hours and more time to warm Earth. It is also true,
that when the Sun is higher in the sky, the Sun’s rays impact Earth at a steeper angle
and are _____________ [less/more] intense than when the Sun is lower in the sky. This
also helps to explain why it is warmer in summer and colder in winter. The day of the
year with the ______________ [least/most] daylight hours is June 21st, the first day of
summer (in the Northern Hemisphere). This day is also called the summer
_______________.
When Earth is neither leaning toward nor away from the Sun, we have the fall and
spring ________________, when daylight and nighttime hours are about equal.
For Earth, the following phrase is a way to remember the reason for colder and warmer
seasons: “Length of days; Angle of rays; Nothing to do with how far away”. But what
about the seasons on Mars? Mars’ rotation ____________ is tilted about the same
amount as Earth’s, but the orbit of Mars around the Sun is more _______________ (like
an oval). Thus Mars’ distance from the Sun varies a lot more than Earth’s distance from
the Sun. This means that both the tilt of the Mars’ rotation axis and its closer and farther
distances from the Sun are important to consider in determining the more extreme
nature of Martian seasons.
ST 15
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
______________________
________________________ ________________________
4. Do we see different stars at different times of year?
Circle one: YES NO
Explain:
________________________ ________________________
8. Can you see the constellation representing your “sign” of the Zodiac
in the night sky on your birthday?
Circle one: YES NO
Explain:
ST 16
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
THE ZODIAC DIAGRAM [p 2 of 2]
REMEMBER: During the lesson, you were standing around the inner circle
with your body representing Earth in orbit around the Sun.
Sagittarius Scorpius
Capricorn Libra
Summer
Solstice
21 June
Aquarius Virgo
Sun “in”
Fall Pisces/Aquarius Spring
Equinox Equinox
22 Sept 21 Mar
Pisces Leo
Winter
Solstice
21 Dec
Aries Cancer
Taurus Gemini
ORION
ST 17
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
Use the words at the bottom to fill in the blanks of the poem. As you choose your
answers, be sure to consider the astronomy you know as well as the rhyming scheme.
ST 18
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
YOUR ANSWER CHANGES OR STAYS THE SAME BY THE END. LET’S GO!
7. Look at the diagram. How long will it take for Earth to rotate from noon in the
USA (midnight in China) to midnight in the USA (noon in China)? ______hrs?
8. So about how far will Earth have moved in its orbit during this time? ______ º
People in China see the stars
now. How long until people in
the US will see the stars?
Noon in
USA
Midnight in
China
9. Will people in the US see pretty much the same stars tonight as people in China
saw last night? Circle one: YES NO
10. Work in pairs to design a kinesthetic demonstration that proves your answer.
ST 19
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
To Orion
ST 20
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
WHO CAN SEE ORION WHEN?
Answer Key for Teachers
Use kinesthetic techniques to confirm Orion’s visibility.
No time of day when
Orion can be seen
due to sunlight:
rises at sunrise and
sets at sunset.
To Orion
ST 21
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
Earth Mars
1.5 AU (Mars is about 50% farther from the Sun than Earth is)
**The orbit of Mars around the Sun is more elliptical (oval-shaped) than Earth’s orbit around the
Sun. The Sun-Mars distance varies up to 20% over the course of its year (from about 264
million km to 216 million km). Earth’s orbit is much more circular. The distance varies by only
about 3% (from 152.1 million km to 147.1 million km).
***Mars is closest to the Sun during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere (summer in the
Southern Hemisphere). Mars gets about 50% more solar energy when Mars is closest to the Sun
compared to when it is farthest away. Because Earth’s orbit is more circular, it receives only
about 6.6% more solar energy when it is closest to the Sun compared to when it is farthest away.
ST 22
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
COMPARING THE SEASONS ON EARTH AND MARS
Answer Key for Teachers
1. How long is a Martian day? How does this compare to Earth?
The Martian day is 24.6 hours long, about the same as Earth. Thus the two planets are rotating at
about the same speed.
3. If you lived on Mars would you have made more or less trips around the
Sun in your life? How old would you be in Martian years?
If you lived on Mars, you would have made only half as many trips around the Sun, so you’d be
half as old in Martian years!
7. How long are seasons on Earth? How long would a Martian season be?
Seasons on Earth last 3 Earth months. A Martian season would be about twice as long because it
takes twice as long for Mars to orbit the Sun.
8. Do you think the more elliptical orbit of Mars makes the Mars-Sun
distance a more important factor in the seasonal temperatures of Mars?
Compared to Earth, Mars’ distance from the Sun is far more important in determining seasonal
behavior. Mars is closest to the Sun in northern hemisphere winter (southern hemisphere
summer), and farther from the Sun in northern hemisphere summer (southern hemisphere
winter). This is true for Earth as well, but Mars’ orbit is more elliptical (more like an oval) and
thus Mars receives 50% more energy from the Sun when it is closest compared to when it is
farthest from the Sun. This makes the seasons significantly more intense in the southern
hemisphere (even more cold OR(colder) in winter and even more hot (hotter) in summer).
When Mars is closest to the Sun, atmospheric motions can sometimes trigger great global dust
storms that can change the shape of the bright and dark areas on the surface of Mars. These
shifting shapes fooled early astronomers into believing that Mars had a seasonal variation of
vegetation. Today we know there are no trees on Mars, and we know of no other forms of life.
ST 23
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
ST 24
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
5. Fill in the blanks below and DRAW PICTURES to show what you mean.
a) Earth turns about its own axis. It takes ________ hours to turn once around.
We say that Earth is in ________________ around the Sun. How many trips
6. How many times does Earth rotate during one orbit of the Sun? ________
7. About how much (out of 360º) does Earth move in orbit in one day? _____º
Explain your reasoning:
ST 25
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
What is the season at the girl’s What is the season at the boy’s
upper chest (North America)? upper chest (North America)?
________________________
________________________ ________________________
What is the season at the girl’s What is the season at the boy’s
upper back (China)? lower belly (South America)?
________________________ ________________________
ST 26
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
Name: ____________________
11. Refer to the Zodiac Diagram on the next page to answer these questions:
______________________
______________________
e) Write the names of two constellations that would be visible in the night sky
at midnight on the Winter Solstice (21 December).
________________________ ________________________
f) Do we see the same stars at different times of year? Why or why not?
h) Mark an “X” on the Diagram to show your birthday position in Earth’s orbit.
i) Write the names of two constellations that would be visible in the night sky
at midnight on your birthday.
________________________ ________________________
j) BONUS: Can you see the constellation representing your “sign” of the
Zodiac in the night sky on your birthday? Explain your answer on the back.
ST 27
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu
THE ZODIAC DIAGRAM [p 5 of 5]
REMEMBER: During the lesson, you were standing around the inner circle
with your body representing Earth in orbit around the Sun.
Sagittarius Scorpius
Capricorn Libra
Summer
Solstice
21 June
Aquarius Virgo
Sun “in”
Fall Pisces/Aquarius Spring
Equinox Equinox
22 Sept 21 Mar
Pisces Leo
Winter
Solstice
21 Dec
Aries Cancer
Taurus Gemini
ORION
ST 28
© Dr. Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Aug 2004)
camorrow@colorado.edu & zawaski@colorado.edu