Introduction

The Moon affects us in more subtle ways than the Sun, pulling the oceans of the world higher and lower and acting as a natural nightlight that slowly goes on and off over the course of a nearly 30-day period. The changes of the Moon's brightness have given rise to humans tracking months everywhere around the world. In this module, we will study the brightness changes of the Moon and how they relate to the times when we see the Moon in the sky. In addition, we will learn where the Moon appears in the sky and how this changes over time. Finally, we will investigate briefly the Greek and Roman myths about the Moon.

Module Objectives

1. You will be able to recognize the phases of the Moon and order them in the lunar cycle.
2. You will be able to use the phase to determine the approximate time of day when the Moon rises and sets during that phase.
3. You will be able to find the Moon in the sky over the course of its phases and cycles relative to the Sun.
4. You will be able to differentiate the two types of eclipses and relate them to Moon phase and position

Module Structure

• Readings
  • Textbook Sections
    • 4.5 Phases and Motions of the Moon
    • 4.7 Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
  • Online Resources
    • Moon Teaching for the Masses
    • What are Solar Eclipses?
    • What is a Total Lunar Eclipse?
    • Selene
    • To Selene
• Reading Check
  • Check Your Moon Reading
• Activities
  • Build Moon Pages
  • Discuss Moon Phases with Your Greek Letter Group
  • Discuss Sunwheels with the Class
  • Make Observations of the Sky for the Moon Module
• Learning Check
  • Check Your Moon Module Learning
• Reflection
  • Reflect on Moon Module Time