Comparison Science Project
Does the Moon’s terminator move differently when viewed from Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, correspond with someone who lives in the Southern Hemisphere.
The diagram is an example for collecting information in the Northern Hemisphere.
The white circle, would be shaded to represent the different moon phases during the waxing and waning of the Moon.
Comparable data should be collected when viewing the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere.
As part of your science project, create a model that demonstrates the Moon’s terminator during its waxing and waning phases. Following is an idea.
Construct A Dynamic Moon Terminator Model
Design and Construct a dynamic model to show the movement of the Moon’s terminator from day to day as viewed from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere.
The following information provides clues, but not specific measurements for a model. Use the clues to build and construct your own dynamic model.
Clues:
1. Fold a stiff piece of paper, such as poster board in half.
2. Cut a circle out of one side of the folded paper. Fig. A
3. Cut a strip of stiff paper for the slide.
4. Color part of the slide black as shown. It is important to have the curves as shown.
You want the black and white areas to be slightly slightly wider than the diameter of the circle in Fig. A.
5. Close the one long edge of the folded paper (Fig. A) with tape.
6. Insert the slide. Fig. C
7. Pull the slide toward the lift and watch the shape of the moon phases that form.
8. Notice the shape of the terminator as it moves across the Moon’s face.
These black areas on the strip will demonstrate the concave nature of the Moon’s terminator when during a waning moon phase. It will also demonstrate the terminator’s convex shape during a waxing moon phase.
