from the
Johannesburg Planetarium
from
the
Johannesburg
Planetarium
These Moon-watching worksheets are designed for learners of about grade 5 up, although they could be used by younger people with assistance from an older person.
How to use the worksheets:
Download the correct chart:
Because we only see half the sky at a time, and the Moon takes a month to orbit around the Earth:
the waxing (growing) Moon is seen in the early evenings, from just after New Moon until Full Moon; these dates are:
Dec 26th 2011 to Jan 9th 2012
Jan 25th to Feb 7th 2012
Feb 24th to Mar 8th 2012
Mar 25th to Apr 7th 2012
Apr 23rd to May 6th 2012
Jun 20th to Jul 3rd 2012
Jul 20th to Aug 2nd 2012
Aug 18th to Aug 31st 2012
Sep 17th to Sep 30th 2012
Oct 16th to Oct 29th 2012
Nov 15th to Nov 28th 2012
Dec 14th to Dec 28th 2012
From Full Moon to a few days before New Moon, look for the waning (shrinking) Moon in the mornings, after sunrise.
Send your learners home to watch and record the changing phase of the Moon. At the same time, they will learn to identify some of the stars and planets in our Southern African skies.
simple demonstration of why the Moon changes shape;
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download May / June 2012 chart as pdf start Moon-watching May 23rd |
Last updated: 14 Mar
2012
Comments & suggestions to:
Claire Flanagan
Web Master:
Constant Volschenk