Seasonal Changes & Shadow Length
This week we were exploring the Sun’s path changes with the time of the year. We noticed that on summer days the Sun comes up earlier, rises higher in the midday sky, and sets later than it does in winter. If you are curious about when the Sun rises and sets, you can type “sunrise” or “sunset” into Google to find out the exact time! This week we had daylight savings – how does this adjust our observations?
Changes in the Sun’s position every day add up to big changes over months. You can show this by marking the shadow of a stationary object at the same time of day once a week for a few weeks. If you are up for an experiment, try this at home! Every week, the shadow will be in a new position.
Seasonal Patterns & Earth’s Orbit
This week students were introduced to constellations, and learned how there are different constellations visible each season. They explored the Mystery, “Why do the constellations change with the seasons?” Your child built a model that makes it easy for them to visualize the answer, called a “Universe in a Box.” If you can, take this opportunity to have your child show you how their “Universe in a Box” works. Ask them: Why do we see different constellations each season? What are some constellations we will see if we go outside tonight? You might even want to try out an app on your phone for finding constellations!
Other extensions – Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)!
Each day, APOD features a different photograph of the universe, along with a short explanation by an astronomer. There’s also a searchable APOD Archive.
Here are a few photos to get you started:
- Look for Orion here — and then search for the bright stars of his belt in this snapshot from the International Space Station
- Your may have heard of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, but have they seen them in the sky? Move your mouse onto the photo to see the connecting lines.
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