Purpose
To determine the cause of the phase of the Moon
called the new moon.
| Procedure |
| 1. |
Shape
the clay into a ball and stick it on the
point of the pencil. The clay ball is the
model Moon. |
| 2. |
In
a darkened room, hold the flashlight at
arm's length and shine the light toward
your face. |
| 3. |
Hold
the model Moon midway between you and the
light with the model aligned with the light
bulb and slightly above it. |
| 4. |
Observe
the surface of the clay ball. |
Sum It Up!
The light is very bright and the surface of
the ball is difficult to see.
Why?
The Moon shines because
it reflects light from the Sun. The side of
the Moon facing the Sun is always sunlit. The
side away from the Sun is always dark. As the
Moon orbits Earth, an observer on Earth sees
different portions of the Moon. The appearance
of the illuminated surface of the Moon facing
Earth is called a phase of the Moon. The Moon's
orbit is at an angle of about 5 degrees to the
ecliptic (plane of Earth's orbit). Thus as seen
from Earth, it usually appears to pass above
or below the Sun's disk. When the Moon is in
conjunction with the Sun, the side facing Earth
is not illuminated. This phase is referred to
as the new moon. The new moon rises with the
Sun in the east and sets with the Sun in the
west.
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