The Changing Moon

Have a go

Investigate: How do your 3 chosen features change as the phase of the Moon changes?

Plan your observations:

Make sure you design your observations carefully. You will need to decide the following:

1. the 3 features you will observe and analyse
2. the time of the month to begin observations
3. the number of observations of each feature
4. the time interval between observations

Tips:

• To adequately show how a feature changes as the phase of the Moon changes you need at least 3 images of each feature.
• The features do not all need to be in the same field of view. You can get images from different regions of the Moon.
• Sometimes a feature will not be properly visible in an image. Showing that it is not visible could be part of your plan.
• Mountains are good features to choose because at certain times sunlight only reflects from the mountain tops, with valleys being in shadow.

Submit your observations to the Liverpool Telescope

1. Log in to your account
2. Go to Go Observing and use the GCSE Options to observe Lunar Features
3. Follow your plan and the instructions on the screen to make your observation
4. Repeat for your other lunar features

Process your observations

1. Download your images.
2. Use the image software to open and process your images. This is where you can reveal as much detail as possible from the images.

When you download your observations, the webpage will tell you the details of your observations, including:

• date and time
• telescope and instrument used
• observing site (precise location)
• weather conditions at the observing site
• filter and exposure time

This information is also saved within the file as metadata and can be viewed using the image software (in LTImage, navigate to Image properties via the Astro menu).

You should make a note of this information for your report.

Analyse your results

Compare your images and comment on the similarities and differences. What has changed and why? The more detailed and in-depth your explanation, the better. Try to use numerical data to back up your descriptive comments.

Things to consider:

• the angle of sunlight
• the position of the Earth, Moon, and Sun
• the length of the shadows

You may want to add labels of times, dates, and significant features in your images. Make sure to give explanations for any astronomical vocabulary you use.

Reach a conclusion. How have your 3 features changed with the lunar cycle? What have your learned?

Evaluate your results

How accurate are your images? What were the limits of the project? How could you improve the project if you did it again?

Produce a Report

A scientific report clearly and accurately communicates what you intended to investigate, as well as the results of that investigation.

It should contain:

• your observation plan
• your images
• your analysis
• your evaluation

And make sure you include the following details about your equipment and methods:

• the equipment you used (telescope, instrument, and software)
• date and time of observation
• observing site (precise location)
• weather conditions at the observing site
• filter and exposure time
• rise and set times of the Moon
• phase of the Moon
• why you chose the features