Week 6: Intro to Earth Science

Initial Thoughts:

1. How do the phases of the moon occur?

I think that the phases of the moon occur because the Earth is orbiting the sun constantly, as the Earth orbits it block part of the sun from shining on the moon. When the Earth covers more of the sun, then there is a smaller part of the moon showing at night, but when the Earth covers less of the sun or none at all, it is a full moon. 

2. What causes the seasons?

The sun is closer to either the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere. In the summer we are closer to the sun in the Northern Hemisphere so it is hotter, whereas in the winter we are further away from the sun so the weather is colder. 

3. what causes a lunar eclipse? 

I think a lunar eclipse is when the moon goes in front of the sun?

Learning in Lab:

This week during lab we did hands on discovery over each of these questions. We used a lightbulb, and two balls to see what position the Earth and moon need to be in to make it be a lunar eclipse. We also discovered common misconceptions that we thought about Earth's seasons. I originally thought that the Earth was closest during the sun during summer, however it is closest to the sun when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This is because of the Earth's tilt and its rotation on its axis around the sun. The Earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun, and when the Earth is tilted towards the sun, it is summer. When the Earth is tilted away from the sun, it is winter. I also thought that the Earth orbited in an oval shape, however this is not true, the Earths orbit is in a circle shape. We also discussed that in the past, people thought our universe was geocentric, meaning that the Earth is at the center of the universe because we could see both the sun and the moon. However, our universe is actually heliocentric, meaning that the sun is at the center of the universe. 

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere 

Learning in Lecture:

Big Questions: 

How do the phases of the moon occur? 

As the moon orbits the sun, the sun light is reflecting on different parts of the moon that makes it visible to certain points on Earth. If it is 11:00 and the moon is in a quarter phase, it is on the eastern horizon. The position of the moon relative to the sun and Earth is dependent on what phase we see. 

What causes the seasons?

The tilt of the Earth and the region of focus depends on which season it is. For example, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere and the Earth is tilted toward the sun, you are in the summer seasons. In contrast, if the Earth's Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, it is winter. Ironically, the Earth is closest to the sun on January 6th which debunks my initial thoughts. 

What causes a lunar eclipse?

When the Earth, Moon, and Sun are all in perfect alignment with each other. The moon moved into the Earth's shadow which causes the moon to be darkened. Every six months during the moons full phase is when a lunar eclipse occurs. 

Textbook Connections:

1. What did you learn?

This chapter discusses the topics that we looked at during our lab and lecture sections: heliocentrism vs geocentrism, moon phases, equinox and solstice, eclipses, seasons. Some key takeaways from this chapter is that different areas of the Earth receive differing amounts of sunlight due to the Earth's tilt and this is what causes the seasons. The tropic lines, equator, and arctic circle are all significant areas that mark direct sunlight. Some new learning that I gained was that a solar eclipse always occurs during a new moon and it is when the moon crosses between the Earth and the Sun. A lunar eclipse always occurs during a full moon and that is when the moon is blocked when it passes Earth's shadow so no sunlight can reach it. 

2. What was most helpful?

I think that the videos were very helpful to gain understanding regarding these abstract topics such as Earth's position relative to the sun and moon during eclipses and the different phases of the moon. 

3. What do you need more information on?

I would like to learn more about the discovery of our heliocentric universe. How did scientists develop technology to discover that there is more to space and our galaxy than just the Earth, moon and sun? 

4. What questions, concerns, or comments to do you have? 

I think it is interesting to see that the theories that I have believed for so long such as, the Earth is closer to the sun in the summer, is actually not correct and many students have these same misconceptions.