Week 6: Earth Sun and Moon

• What did you do in the lab?
• In lab this week we talked about an introduction to our solar system. We discussed how the phases of the moon occur, what causes the seasons, and what causes lunar eclipses. In class, we used visuals to help us understand how each of these things occurred. We had a globe, the sun, and the moon to help us determine how each phenomenon occurred. 
• What was the big question?
• The big question in the lab was how the moon, sun, and Earth all play a role in our daily lives. Also how much do you remember about the moon, sun, and Earth? 
• What did you learn in Thursday’s lecture?
• In the lecture on Thursday, I learned that the way Earth orbits the sun is almost a perfect circle, it is not elliptical. I also learned that the moon is considered a semi-fixed" object, or thinking of it as fixed helps make the phases easier to remember. When it is daytime outside, the moon is still visible, but it is only visible in a certain phase. 
• From the reading
• What did you learn?
• In the reading, I learned about the 2 equinoxes and the 2 solstices. Equinoxes mark the day when the Earth receives an equal amount of sunlight while Solstices mark the days of the year when a hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight/most amount of sunlight. 
• What was most helpful?
• The most helpful thing in the reading was reviewing the moon phases with pictures that describe each phase. The visuals/pictures overall in the reading were very helpful for me to understand.