SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - P.A.D Joint Lesson :: Moon phases, Potions, & Werewolves..OH MY!

griffin · 06-16-2015, 05:02 PM

SPOILER!!: Professor Flamsteed

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

"Indeed," he nodded towards Miss Wright. Something he had already said, but still an important bit of information. "Just a moment, Miss Wright. Let's not get ahead of things just yet," he winked at her - not that she could really see - in a casual tone. They would get to making full moons here in just a moment.

"Stellar," he applauded each student's answer. "This first position here is indeed the phase known as a new moon and is the first phase of the lunar cycle. It is, as you can see, when the side of the moon facing the Earth is not illuminated by the Sun and we therefore have zero visibility of it from our perspective here on Earth."

Clearing his throat and turning his back to the class, he held up his moon-on-a-stick once again and continued. "Now, if you all could please rotate yourselves slowly to the left while continuing to hold your moon in place," he instructed as he began to do so himself. "You will see that light begins to shin on your moon, growing little and little from the right side of the sphere. This is known as 'waxing,' a term which means growing, and is used to describe the moon as it grows from new moon to full moon. This first sliver of light you see here is known as the 'waxing crescent'...and if you keep rotating yourself you'll see what is called the 'first quarter,' or literally, when the moon has completed 1/4 of its orbit around the earth. But, for us, this will look as though the Moon is a half-moon - half illuminated and half not. Please continue to rotate until the surface of your sphere is entirely illuminated."

He paused for a moment to rotate himself around so that he was now facing the class again...and all their backs now to him. Hurrr....hadn't thought this through so well, had he? Awkward.

"Who can tell me what terminology is used once we pass the first quarter moon phase? It is no longer a waxing crescent, but a what?"

Yes, not the most riveting of exercises nor discussion at the moment, but Cosgrach would be handed the reigns soon...and he was hoping students would forgive him once he started, despite it going against some of his classroom rules, a special surprise to everyone. Nothing like bribing through the stomach, right?

It sort of worked on the astronomer. Sort of.

Penelope returned to the position that made a new moon when she heard Professor Flamsteed telling her not to get ahead of things. Slowly turning to the left when the professor told them to, Penelope looked at the waxing crescent. She continued to move until half of the sphere was illuminated, the first quarter. Now was the time for making a waxing gibbous, and then a full moon. Penelope stared at her full moon. It wasn't quite the same as the real full moon, but it looked like a full moon. She listened to Professor Flamsteed's question, keeping her eyes fixed on her full moon on a stick. "After the first quarter moon is the waxing gibbous moon, and after that is the full moon." Penelope didn't look away from her styrofoam ball moon while she answered the question. Was she getting too far ahead? The waning gibbous moon came after the full moon, then the third quarter, the waning crescent, and back to the new moon. The lunar cycle. It took about 27.3 days for the moon to complete a lunar cycle. Fascinating. The moon was one of her favorite things to study in astronomy, especially the full moon. She could stand here all night just staring at the moon.

06-16-2015, 05:02 PM	#63 (permalink)
griffin DMAC & DERP Snidget Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 2,710 Hogwarts RPG Name: Devin James Horton Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Deanna Joyce Horton Gryffindor Second Year x1	Teapot Occamy\| gryphons&giraffes&goats,OH MY \| chaser of the truth \| flutiful❧ SPOILER!!: Professor Flamsteed Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie "Indeed," he nodded towards Miss Wright. Something he had already said, but still an important bit of information. "Just a moment, Miss Wright. Let's not get ahead of things just yet," he winked at her - not that she could really see - in a casual tone. They would get to making full moons here in just a moment. "Stellar," he applauded each student's answer. "This first position here is indeed the phase known as a new moon and is the first phase of the lunar cycle. It is, as you can see, when the side of the moon facing the Earth is not illuminated by the Sun and we therefore have zero visibility of it from our perspective here on Earth." Clearing his throat and turning his back to the class, he held up his moon-on-a-stick once again and continued. "Now, if you all could please rotate yourselves slowly to the left while continuing to hold your moon in place," he instructed as he began to do so himself. "You will see that light begins to shin on your moon, growing little and little from the right side of the sphere. This is known as 'waxing,' a term which means growing, and is used to describe the moon as it grows from new moon to full moon. This first sliver of light you see here is known as the 'waxing crescent'...and if you keep rotating yourself you'll see what is called the 'first quarter,' or literally, when the moon has completed 1/4 of its orbit around the earth. But, for us, this will look as though the Moon is a half-moon - half illuminated and half not. Please continue to rotate until the surface of your sphere is entirely illuminated." He paused for a moment to rotate himself around so that he was now facing the class again...and all their backs now to him. Hurrr....hadn't thought this through so well, had he? Awkward. "Who can tell me what terminology is used once we pass the first quarter moon phase? It is no longer a waxing crescent, but a what?" Yes, not the most riveting of exercises nor discussion at the moment, but Cosgrach would be handed the reigns soon...and he was hoping students would forgive him once he started, despite it going against some of his classroom rules, a special surprise to everyone. Nothing like bribing through the stomach, right? It sort of worked on the astronomer. Sort of. Penelope returned to the position that made a new moon when she heard Professor Flamsteed telling her not to get ahead of things. Slowly turning to the left when the professor told them to, Penelope looked at the waxing crescent. She continued to move until half of the sphere was illuminated, the first quarter. Now was the time for making a waxing gibbous, and then a full moon. Penelope stared at her full moon. It wasn't quite the same as the real full moon, but it looked like a full moon. She listened to Professor Flamsteed's question, keeping her eyes fixed on her full moon on a stick. "After the first quarter moon is the waxing gibbous moon, and after that is the full moon." Penelope didn't look away from her styrofoam ball moon while she answered the question. Was she getting too far ahead? The waning gibbous moon came after the full moon, then the third quarter, the waning crescent, and back to the new moon. The lunar cycle. It took about 27.3 days for the moon to complete a lunar cycle. Fascinating. The moon was one of her favorite things to study in astronomy, especially the full moon. She could stand here all night just staring at the moon. __________________