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Moon Hunt #3 – Why is half the earth bright?

This is part 3 in the STEAMwhiz’s Moon Hunt Series. Before we understand the moon, we have to understand some basics about the earth. Here we explain why half the earth is bright. Make sure you check out the prior video and see if you can answer all the questions beforehand!

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Moon Hunt (Jan 15th, 2021) – Questions #1

If you have had clear skies at night, I wonder have you been able to see the moon? Have you thought about what happens each day as you look up into the sky? What do you see? Here are a few more questions that might get some juices flowing 😉 We will follow up with some more content soon.

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Moon Hunt (Jan 12th, 2021) – Activity #1

Overview

Over the next several weeks we will track how the moon orbits the earth. We will make keen observations, ask insightful questions, and learn together as the moon goes through its phases. It will be fun for the kids (maybe even adults) to understand the fascinating physics that happens every day and we may take for granted!

If you can, take pictures of what you see each night and you should have a nice montage of the phases of the moon!

Phases of the moon
(Image Source: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/why-does-the-moons-appearance-change/)

Where’s the moon?

Do you think the moon is in the night sky every night? Maybe you think it comes above the horizon at night but it’s dimly lit, obscured by clouds, or only a tiny sliver showing making it hard to see? Tonight and over the next several nights, look to the south-southwest horizon at sunset and see if you can find it. If you can, take a peek several times throughout the day (look around the sun), at dusk/dawn, and at different times at night, and convince yourself you didn’t miss it. If you are in the Capital Region like us tonight will have some light cloud coverage but tomorrow night will be excellent to view the night sky.

Dusk – the transition from day to night. Peak twilight just after sunset before the night begins.
(Image Source: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/73648)