Week 3: Space: The Moon

 

  1. This week in lab, we began by reviewing the NDSL strandmap and the Private Universe. This discussion reminded me that science concepts are interconnected and build on each other. It also reminded me of the importance of correcting my own and my future students' science preconceptions to strengthen our overall understanding of science. This led to a review that it takes 365 days for the Earth to rotate around the Sun and 28 days for the Moon to rotate around the Earth. We worked collaboratively as a group to model a New Moon, a Full Moon, and a ¼ or ¾ Moon. A colleague then modeled how the Moon revolves as it goes around the Earth, demonstrating why we only see the near side. We then ended the lab by exploring the difference between the near side and the dark side of the moon. Using a bowl, magnets, cocoa powder, a flower, and a ruler, my group worked to determine why these sides look different. We added cocoa powder to the bottom of the bowl and a layer of flour on top. We then dropped large and small magnets into the bowl to represent meteorites hitting the moon from different distances. We discovered that the near side of the moon must have a thinner crust that can be impacted more easily, whereas the dark side must have a thicker crust that protects it against impacts. This left me curious as to why one side has a thinner layer than the other. However, I thought this was a great hands-on activity that I would use in my future classroom to explore and visualize why the sides of the moon look different. 

  2. How does the relationship between the Moon’s rotation and revolution help us understand the near side and far side of the Moon? 


  3. 09/11 Lecture Notes

    Why different thickness?

    • Earth's facing side: 200 degrees F warmer 

      • The near side acts as a more plastic than solid substance 

      • More prone to volcanic activity, including magma fields (the dark spots on the near side)

      • My understanding: Due to tidal locking, the front side of the moon was facing the Earth, while Earth was hot, causing it to melt/be more fluid, giving it a thinner crust; therefore, magma easily escapes when hit 

      • Whereas the dark side was cold and not receiving heat, allowing it to develop a thicker crust that is less affected when hit 

    • No active core, so why did it have volcanoes?

      • Residual heat from radioactive decay?

      • Earth’s gravity, due to tidal locking, pulled early molten material toward the observable side?

      • Once hit by a meteor that thickened the crust on the far side 



    Moon Phases/Notes: 

    • The Moon moves a little farther away from Earth every year. One day it will be gone. 

    • The Moon is about the size of the United States 

    • The moon came from a Mars-sized object, Theia, that hit Earth 

    • Scientists explore new theories often, these are a few:

    Capture Theory

    • Some people believed the Moon was formed because we captured it 

    • When playing softball, if a softball is coming at your head, it would not be captured in a rotation around your body; therefore, we could not capture the moon 

    Fission Theory

    • The Earth was spinning so fast that a chunk was pulled off the Earth; if that happened, it would not “fly” off and begin going into a rotation around the Earth

    Conformation 

    • They were formed at the same time, but then they would look identical 

    UNUIT

  4. In Chapter 3, I deepened my understanding of the moon and the effects it has on Earth. At the beginning of the chapter, I learned more about the phases of the moon. I found it interesting that there are quarter phases, not half phases. This is something I could also see my future students getting confused about because it looks like half the moon in the sky. I then learned about the Moon’s surface, features, and structure. The structure is composed of the core, mantle, and crust. Whereas the surface consists of regolith and maria. I also found it interesting to learn that the dark side of the Moon is more rugged and has fewer maria. This is because the Moon was formed when Earth was struck by the protoplanet Theia. The nearside of the Moon was closer to Earth, so it received more heat and cooled off more slowly, whereas the far side received less heat and cooled off more quickly, giving it a thicker crust that is not as easily impacted. Lastly, I found it interesting to learn that the Moon’s gravity causes tides in Earth’s oceans. The photos, videos, and other models throughout this chapter were the most helpful in building my understanding. However, I would like more information about tidal locking. I am still finding this concept hard to grasp and struggling to visualize the Moon revolving as it rotates around Earth. I plan to do more research to better grasp tidal locking. But overall, I found this chapter helpful in building my understanding and ability to teach my future students about the Moon and its relationship to Earth. 

  5. I have no questions, comments, or concerns at this time.

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