Seasons Earth Moon Sun Lab - Earth Science

Explore 1. Tracking the Constellations in the Night Sky Humans have been observing the night sky and trying to make sense of observations since their early history. These images are from the perspective of an observer at the North Pole. Choose a constellation from the diagram below and track how it moves over the course of a night. 1. Which direction are you as the observer looking? North 2. What did you notice about the way the constellation moved over the course of 12 hours during the night? They moved counter clockwise 3. Complete the chart on the next page by drawing how its position changes over the course of 12 hours. Use a ruler or protractor to help you determine slight changes in position. Time 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 9:00 pm 10:00 pm 11:00 pm 12:00 am Position of Constellation 1:00 am 2:00 am 3:00 am 4:00 am 5:00 am 6:00 am 4. Based on what you observed, how would you predict the position of Earth will change from the perspective of the constellation? 5. Does the apparent change in position of the constellations support the idea that the Earth rotates around its axis once in a 24 hour period? Explain your thinking below. 6. Can you think of other possible explanations for these observations? Explain your thinking below. 2. The Foucault Pendulum Experiment The Foucault Pendulum experiment, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, is a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. Observations from Animation Observations from Video Knocks pins down Has a map of earth on the middle Moves clockwise Pendulum is on the right movement Proves that earth is not flat because if it were Flat it would just be one sided 1. Do your observations from the Foucault Pendulum experiment support the idea that the Earth rotates around its axis once in a 24 hour period? Explain your thinking below. Yes because while the Foucault pendulum swings back and forth in a plane the earth rotates beneath it so that relative motion exists between them 2. Can you think of other possible explanations for these observations? Explain your thinking below. When all the pins are knocked down the 24 hour cycle is done 3. The Coriolis Effect Experiment Coriolis Effect Reading and Video Explained Coriolis Effect Animation Ck12 Plix Coriolis Effect: Flying South? (on Canvas) The Coriolis Effect is the deflection of moving objects when they are viewed in a rotating reference frame. In oceanography, we are most interested in how the Coriolis Effect moves winds and ocean currents on the rotating Earth. To better understand the Coriolis Effect, follow these instructions to demonstrate the Coriolis Effect for yourself. First, let’s explore the perspective of an object moving from the North Pole towards the Equator: 1) On the map of the Northern Hemisphere below, label the U.S. East Coast with an E and the West Coast with a W. 2) Draw an arrow from the W to the E, indicating the direction of rotation for the Earth. (The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.) 3) Draw an arrow in the same direction around the North Pole. Which direction is the arrow pointing? Clockwise Counterclockwise 4) Use a pencil or pen to make a hole in the paper at the North Pole. Work with a neighbor for the next steps: 5) One person holds the pencil or pen straight up on the table through the hole in the North Pole. The paper should be flat on the table. Practice rotating the paper in the direction of the arrow to simulate the rotation of the Earth. 6) The other person takes their finger and places it near the North Pole. Pick a spot in the room, like one of the doors. As one person rotates the paper, the other drag their finger from the North Pole towards the door. 7) After you have practiced this a few times, use a pencil or pen instead of your finger. Draw a line as one person rotates the paper and you move your pencil or pen towards the door. Which direction does the line curve? Right Left 8) Repeat this on the map of the Northern Hemisphere on the other person’s paper, swapping jobs so now the person who rotated the page has a chance to draw the line. Next, let’s explore the perspective of an object moving from the South Pole towards the Equator: 1) On the map of the Southern Hemisphere, label the East and West coasts of South America. (W in Ecuador, and E in Brazil.) 2) Draw an arrow from W to E. 3) Draw an arrow in the same direction around the South Pole. Which direction is the arrow pointing? Clockwise Counterclockwise 4) As you did with the Northern Hemisphere, work with a partner to rotate the map and draw a line extending away from the South Pole. Which direction does the line curve? Right or Left Now that we understand how objects are deflected as they move from the poles towards the equator, let’s explore the Coriolis Effect from the perspective of an object moving from the Equator towards the poles. Let’s return to the map of the Northern Hemisphere. 1) Trace the circle representing the line of latitude closest to the North Pole, placing an X in Greenland. Someone at that X will travel around that circle in one day. 2) Trace the circle representing the Equator, placing a W on the west coast of South America in northern Ecuador. Someone at W will travel around the equator in one day. 3) Which person has to travel faster? Greenland Ecuador (Because the person in Ecuador travels farther in the same amount of time—one day.) 4) Suppose we shoot a cannonball north from the W in Ecuador. Draw an arrow north from the W in Ecuador to Miami. 5) Because the Earth rotates, it won’t follow this straight path. Draw an arrow along the Equator through South America, from west to east, to show how the Earth rotates. 6) When an object moves from the Equator to the north, it retains the velocity it had as it was rotating around the equator. So, a cannonball that is fired due north, towards Miami, will also be moving through the air to the east, as if it were still at the equator. Meanwhile, the Earth is also moving under the cannonball, but the Earth’s rotation is slower as you move north. To simulate this combination of effects, draw a curved arrow from the W in Ecuador through Panama to Puerto Rico. 7) Which direction does the line curve? Right Left 8) Is this the same direction—right or left—as the arrow you drew from the North Pole? Yes No Now, let’s explore the Southern Hemisphere. 1) Find Ecuador along the equator, again. You’ve already written a W there. 2) Draw a straight arrow due south from the W in Ecuador into the ocean. 3) Consider a cannonball fired due south. The cannonball retains the velocity of Earth’s rotation at the equator and flies over the Earth, which is rotating under the cannonball. To simulate this combination of effects, draw a curved arrow from the W in Ecuador to Chile. (Where in Chile isn’t important, as we aren’t making exact calculations.) 4) Which direction does the line curve? Right Left 5) Is this the same direction—right or left—as the arrow you drew from the South Pole? Yes No CORIOLISEFFECTACTIVITY GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY Read the documents and view the videos to help you complete this illustration. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth rotates clockwise or counterclockwise which creates a Coriolis Effect that deflects objects to the right or left In the Southern Hemisphere, the Earth rotates clockwise or counterclockwise which creates a Coriolis Effect that deflects objects to the right or left Let’s summarize : • The Coriolis Effect is the deflection of objects moving in a rotating reference frame. • Earth rotates from _____________, which is counterclockwise around the North Pole and clockwise around the South Pole. • The rotation causes winds, currents, and other objects to move to the ____________ in the Northern Hemisphere and to the________ in the Southern Hemisphere Explain Use the table below to organize your thinking about the evidence for Earth’s full rotation upon its axis over a 24 hour period. Use all 3 pieces of evidence your group investigated. Claim: The Earth rotates upon its axis. What is Your Evidence? Reasoning How does this evidence support the claim? Claim: The Earth rotates upon its axis. What is Your Evidence? Reasoning How does this evidence support the claim? Claim: The Earth rotates upon its axis. What is Your Evidence? Reasoning How does this evidence support the claim? Get ready for Whole Class Share - see instructions on Slides Driving prompt: Share your one of the evidences for Earth’s Rotation and your reasoning for how that evidence supports the claim that Earth Rotates on its axis.