The Milky Way Houston Community College银河系休斯敦社区学院.pptVIP

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Note that the following lectures include animations and PowerPoint effects such as fly-ins and transitions that require you to be in PowerPoints Slide Show mode (presentation mode). 0 Cycles of the Moon Chapter 3 0 In the previous chapter you studied daily and yearly cycles of the sun. Now you can focus on the next brightest object in the night sky, the moon. The moon moves steadily against the background of stars, changing its appearance and occasionally producing spectacular events called eclipses. This chapter will help you answer four important questions about Earth’s natural satellite: Why does the moon go through phases? What causes a lunar eclipse? What causes a solar eclipse? How can eclipses be predicted? Guidepost 0 Understanding the phases of the moon and eclipses will exercise your scientific imagination, and help you enjoy the sight of the moon crossing the sky. Once you have an understanding of your world and its motion, you will be ready to read the next chapter, in which you will see how Renaissance astronomers analyzed what they saw in the sky, used their imagination, and came to a revolutionary conclusion – that Earth is a planet. Guidepost (continued) 0 I. The Changeable Moon A. The Motion of the Moon B. The Cycle of Moon Phases II. Lunar Eclipses A. Earths Shadow B. Total Lunar Eclipses C. Partial and Penumbral Lunar Eclipses Outline 0 III. Solar Eclipses A. The Angular Diameter of the Sun and Moon B. The Moons Shadow C. Features of Solar Eclipses D. Observing an Eclipse IV. Predicting Eclipses A. Conditions for an Eclipse B. The View From Space C. The Saros Cycle Outline (continued) 0 The Phases of the Moon (1) The Moon orbits Earth in a sidereal period of 27.32 days. 27.32 days Earth Moon Fixed direction in space 0 The Phases of the Moon (2) The Moon’s synodic period (to reach the same position relative to the sun, i.e., the same lunar phase) is 29.53 days (~ 1 month)