Nature Net News
November 2007
The Solar System
"The sun, with all those planets
revolving around it and dependent upon it,
can still ripen a bunch of
grapes
as if it had nothing else in the universe to do."
Galileo
Dear Reader, "Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you
are!” Enjoy! Kathe & Betsy |
In the month of November you may see Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury cross the sky in one 12 hour period of darkness? Check out SkyandTelescope.com's interactive sky chart to find out when and where to look in the sky.
What to Do This Month:
Learn from Space.com what to look for
this month in the dark skies.
Visit the UW Space Place
for roof-top star gazing on the 2nd and 4th Fridays this month.
Take a virtual, time lapsed trip through the
solar system.
Find out how and why
Light Pollution affects star and planet gazing and what you can do about it.
Check out the Nature Net
Calendar of Events for other fun family programs.
Up Above the World so High
Watching the night sky with young children is exciting, but finding specific constellations or planets can be frustrating without the right attitude and simple tools. Try these tips to help you make the most of it.
Stretch an uninflated red balloon over the lantern end of your flashlight. It will provide enough light to see your way while your eyes remain adjusted to the dark.
Bring a compass so that you can figure out which direction you’re facing.
Use on of the several glow-in-the-dark star and planet charts available to help identify what you see in the night sky.
Set simple goals. Simply finding the North Star or the Big Dipper is a major achievement in a child’s life, and it will create the foundation for future explorations throughout his or her life.
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Star Vs. Planet
Long-ago-scientists first discovered a difference between planets
and stars by regularly observing the night sky, tracking each point of
light. They noted stars trekked across the sky with regularity
- they were, in a scene, a fixed palette of lights. They also
discovered, however, that several points of light did not rise and set
as stars did, but appeared to meander across the sky, sometimes moving
forward, sometimes stopping and then moving backward. These unique
bodies were named planets - meaning 'wanderers'. Through these early
observations, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were discovered -
planets which can still be seen without the help of a telescope. If you
would like to track these wanderers like
Copernicus, first you'll need to know
where to look in the sky.
Then, for closer, faster orbiting planets, like Venus, Mercury and Mars,
check the sky every other night or at least once a week. If you're
tracking Jupiter or Saturn, make your observations every week. Or, try a
more advanced method developed for 4th through 12th graders from the
Center for Science Education, called "Find
That Planet".
If you're unable to get out on a regular basis, there is another way to
tell stars from planets: stars twinkle, planets do not. Because stars
are so far away (the closest (besides the sun) being 25 trillion miles
away), they appear very small. So small that they appear smaller than
the particles of atmosphere we gaze through to see the star. And, as the
atmospheric particles move around, they bend the star's light before it
reaches our eyes, making the light twinkle. The planets, on the other hand,
though much smaller than stars, seem larger because of their proximity
to Earth. Rather than a pinpoint of light, planetary light is more like
a disc - a disc of light large enough to be unaffected by the shifting
atmosphere so, no twinkling occurs.
You can find out more about each amazing planet in our solar system on
several websites. Here's a few to get you started:
Planetary
Mysteries from the American Museum of Natural History,
Windows to the Universe and
Solar System Exploration by NASA.
Eco-Exercise:
Planet Power
This is an activity for a group of friends. Have each friend choose and
become one of the "players" (sun, planets, moons, comets) in our solar
system (or print and hold one of these solar system
trading cards). Have the "sun" stand in the center, and have the other players
arrange themselves in the order of our solar system. In place? Good. Now begin to
move around the sun to create your orbits. Remember to spin on your own axis
as you rotate around the sum. Go slow at first so that you get
your orbit in place and don't bump into anyone. Say hello to the planets that you pass on your way.
Try it faster; slower; hop; spin. You’re out of this world!
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Dane County Parks
The history of Dane County’s parks system began in
1935 when the first county park, Stewart, was acquired. Now Dane County
Parks operates and maintains a system of 34 parks totaling over 8,000
acres of parkland. The
parks program protects natural resources and offers year-round outdoor
recreation opportunities, including (but not limited to) camping, disc
golf, bike trails, dog parks, hiking and cross-country skiing. This great
diversity of opportunities is supported by the great diversity of Dane
County's habitats, including prairie, savannah, wetland and
forest.
Additionally, the parks system provides educational,
volunteer, and service-learning opportunities.
Make your 2008 campsite or shelter reservation starting this month
through the park's online
reservation
system.
Or, volunteer your time in the parks by helping collect, sow, or scatter
native prairie seeds; pulling weeds; or clearing trails.
And don't forget, many Dane County Parks are far enough from bright city
lights that they make a great place to star and planet gaze!
Park
Hours: 5am-10pm (unless otherwise posted)
dane-parks@co.dane.wi.us
Constellation Canister
While you're searching for planets in the night sky, take time to learn
the constellations - they often offer a reference point in finding your
planetary point of light. Here's a fun way to practice:
Using a photocopied version of a star guide (or the templates provided by
NASA), cut out a constellation and place it on the bottom of a film canister.
Now, using a pushpin, punch a small hole through the paper and the canister for each star
in the pattern. Hold the film canister up to the light and look through it to make sure
you have punched the holes all the way through. You should see
light through each hole. Take the pattern off the canister and remember
to label your canister with a strip of masking tape on the side and the name of
your
constellation. Make one or several constellation canisters.
Now you can quiz yourself: Choose one of the canisters and read the name. Look through it to try
to remember the pattern. Slowly turn the canister and observe. Try to learn the constellations without looking at the names.
Then go outside to find the patterns in the night sky!
Suggested Reading:
"Trip to the Planets (Glow in the Dark)" by Lucille Hammond (ages 2-5)
"Earth to Stella!" by Simon Puttock (ages 2-6)
"Children of the Sun" by Arthur John L'Hommedieu (ages 2-6)
"There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System" (Cat in the Hat) by Tish Rabe (ages 4-8)
"The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System" by Joanna Cole (ages 4-8)
"Messages from Mars" by Loreen Leedy & Andrew Schuerger (ages 4-8)
"The Planets in Our Solar System" by Franklyn Mansfield Branley (ages 4-8)
"Exploring the Solar System: A History with 22 Activities" by Mary Kay Carson (ages 9-12)
"Don't Know Much About the Solar System" by Kenneth C. Davis (ages 9-12)
"Three Hundred and Sixty Five Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy
for Every Night of the Year" by Chet Raymo (all ages)
