PBTIL - Comprehensive Grammar School Team

Moon Journal - Instructions (espanol)
Ancient astronomers learned everything they know about the sky by observing it for many hours, night after night. Many astronomers had no telescopes and relied only on their eyes for their observations. It was their dedication to detail n their observations that gave us the excellent celestial records that we still use today. Now, it is your turn to repeat their efforts as you survey the heavens.
Directions
1. Go to a location that allows you a good view of the southern horizon. If you are not sure which direction is south, think where the sun rises (east) and sets (west) each day. If you can find the Big Dipper you can also stand so that it is at your back. It is a good idea to have a few objects on your horizon to use as your location markers such as a house, a few trees, etc.
2. Draw in all the noticeable features on the horizon (houses, trees, etc.)
3. Each night, go outside between 6:00 and 8:00 and draw the moon exactly as you see it in relation to objects on your horizon. It is extremely important that you make your drawing at the same time each night, so pick out a time that will always work for you.
4. Label the date above each moon drawing you make. This is very important! You do not need to label the time, as you will always be observing the moon at exactly the same time every night.
5. Keep a journal in which you record (about a paragraph) each day anything you notice about the moon. You should discuss its size, shape, color, location compared to the horizon, brightness, or location compared to the previous night. Write down anything you notice about the moon at any other time of the day. Do you see it in the late afternoon or early morning? If so, how and where does it appear? How has its position changed by nightfall? How does watching it make you feel? If it is completely cloudy, note the date and time in your journal and state that the moon cannot be seen. In other words, you should have a journal entry for each night.
6. Be sure to record the date, time, and sky conditions with each journal entry.

This program is supported in part by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts, Lowell.