Events Calendar
Nov 4 New Moon Nov 4-5 Taurids Meteor Shower Nov 8 Conjunction of Moon and Venus Nov 9 Conjunction of Moon and Saturn Nov 11 Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter Nov 19 Full Beaver Moon and partial LUNAR ECLIPSE Dec 1-5 Low Afternoon Tides Dec 3 Charter Family Low Tide Exploration Dec 4 New Moon and SOLAR ECLIPSE (NOT visible in the US) Dec 6 Conjunction of Moon and Venus Dec 7 Conjunction of Moon and Saturn Dec 8 Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter Dec 13-14 Geminids Meteor Shower Dec 19 Full Cold Moon Dec 21 December Solstice Dec 14-Jan 5 Audubon Winter Bird Count Dec 31- Jan 5 Low Afternoon Tides November/December NIGHT SKY November and December bring eclipses, moon-planet pairings, meteor showers, and the winter solstice. Use the lengthening night as an opportunity to observe the magnificence of the night sky. November begins with a new moon which gradually reappears as a crescent moon which pairs with Venus, then Jupiter and finally Saturn. This lovely pairing repeats in early December. November 19 is the beginning of the eclipse season. If you are up a bit late you can watch the lunar eclipse. I LOVE watching the earth’s shadow overtaking the moon like a giant cookie monster. If you are interested the details are here: Animation: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2021-november-19 Livestream: https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-lunar-2021-november-19 LOW TIDES Enjoy some great afternoon low tides this December, January, and February. I will be at the beach with tide creature charts and buckets on December 3. Charter Families are invited to join me as more eyes means more finds. CHARTER FAMILY TIDE POOL EXPLORATION: Charter families are invited to join me for a low tide exploration on Friday December 2 at 2:00 pm at Campus Point/UCSB. I will have buckets and field guides for identifying tide pool creatures. I recommend wearing rain boots and a jacket. I will be there rain or shine. If you text or email me your plans to attend, I can be on the lookout for you. ([email protected] or 619-993-4339) This is not an official school sponsored event. You are responsible for keeping an eye on any children you bring - No part of their bodies should touch water unless you are watching them. Always face the incoming waves when observing tide pool creatures. Also please prepare them before you come for being gentle with all sea creatures. DIRECTIONS: Exit Highway 101 northbound at Highway 217. Follow it to the end where it enters the UCSB gate. Go around the big circle and turn on Lagoon Rd. At the end of Lagoon Rd (before the signs that don't allow you to drive further) there is a large parking lot on your left. Read the sign by the pay machine- a few of the stalls are for beach access from 7:30am-5pm on weekdays. December Afternoon Low Tides https://www.usharbors.com/harbor/california/santa-barbara-ca/tides/?tide=2021-12#monthly-tide-chart
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EVENTS CALENDAR
September 22 Fall Equinox October 6 New Moon October 7 Draconids Meteor Shower October 9 Conjunction of the moon and Venus October 14 Conjunction of the moon and Saturn October 20 Full Hunter’s Moon October 29 Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation THE NIGHT SKY Happy Fall. Wednesday September 22 is the Fall Equinox. The nights will be getting longer and the days shorter in the months to come. To understand more about the cause of the seasons check out this article: https://www.calacademy.org/educators/why-do-we-have-different-seasons In October enjoy a meteor shower and a great pairing of the moon and some of the bright planets. The moon makes a great marker for identifying other nearby objects. On October 9 it will pair with Venus and on Octoober 14 it will pair with Saturn. Venus will be especially bright and almost directly overhead by the end of October. Most meteor showers are best viewed past midnight when we are asleep but the Draconids meteor shower is best in the early evening. Enjoy the show on October 7. TO DO: This is a great time to enjoy collecting acorns or experiment with colored leaves: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/fall-science-experiments-for-kids?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=FFG_Special_20210919::rid=E38427E327A2CF43D569F3D64399A3E4 EVENTS CALENDARALL MONTH- Citizen Science Month April 5-8 Jupiter, Saturn and Moon before sunup April 13-17 Crescent Moon near Mars April 24-29 Audubon Bird Count for Kids April 26 Full Moon Supermoon April 27-30 Low Tides in the Afternoon The Sky This MonthEarly morning risers enjoy the view of Jupiter, Saturn and the moon together before sunup on April 5-8. Mid-month after sunset the crescent moon will appear near Mars. On April 26 the moon will be a full supermoon. When the closest point of the moon's orbit coincides with a full moon it appears larger than when it is further away. Citizen Science MonthApril is citizen science month. People of all ages can help scientists by participating in research at home. The website scistarter.org has many resources to help find a project of interest. Some projects appealing to children include project feederwatch and nature's notebook. Spring WildflowersWilderness Youth Project has an excellent guide to spring outdoor activities, including making a wild edible salad. The hillsides are blue-grey from the blooming wild lilac (ceonothus). The lilac flowers are a natural soap. Take a few buds and a bit of water and rub them until they lather. You can read more about this here.
EVENTS CALENDAR March 3 Mars and Seven Sisters Closest until 2038 March 8-10 Moon near Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter in predawn sky March 20 Spring Equinox March 28 Full Worm Moon - Maybe Supermoon April 24 -29 Winter Bird Count for Kids Register Now for your goody bag THE NIGHT SKYThis month the only bright planet visible at night is Mars. You can see Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter in the hours just before dawn. The planet Mars can help you find the constellation Pleiades also known as the "seven sisters." On March 3rd Mars will be the closest to Pleiades that it will be until 2038. This constellation consists of a cluster of stars. The March full moon also known as the Worm Moon because in cold climates the earth begins to thaw and the earthworms appear, may be considered a supermoon as it is the fourth closest full moon of the year. March 20th is the spring equinox when day and night are nearly equal. We have about two more hours of daylight on the equinox than we did during the winter solstice and we will gain about two more hours by the summer solstice. The sun sets on the shoulder of the Sphinx during the spring equinox. This timelapse video of the earth from space helps visualize the seasons. Watch Here. In the NewsAn endangered Black Footed Ferret has been cloned. Watch Here. Perserverance Mars Rover sucessfully lands on Mars. If you missed it live here is a recording. Watch Here. EVENTS CALENDARFeb 8-10 Crescent Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn visible in pre-dawn sky Feb 8-11 LOW TIDE Feb 11 New Moon Jupiter and Venus close in the pre-dawn sky Feb 17-19 Moon near Mars in evening sky Feb 25-27 LOW TIDE Feb 27 Full Snow Moon THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTHTo view the most planets you will need to get up early a bit before the sun. You can see Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus on the mornings of February 8-11. The highlight of the night sky this month is a pairing of the moon and Mars. LOW TIDES THIS MONTHThis is the last month until December for some afternoon low tides greater than - 1 foot (there are a few in the wee hours of the morning in the summer). Luckily there are low tides twice this month - near the new moon and the full moon. WINTER SCIENCEWatch this video of a soap bubble freezing It won't get cold enough to do this outside in Santa Barbara so here is how to freeze bubbles in your freezer.
MAKE A FROZEN BUBBLE INSTRUCTIONS EVENTS CALENDARJan 2 Earth CLOSEST to the Sun for the Year Jan 8-11 Planetary Trio Visible Low in the Sky at Dusk Jan 13 New Moon Jan 10-14 Afternoon Low Tides Jan 16 Free Underwater Parks Day at SBMNH/Sea Center Register here Jan 19-21 Moon Near Mars Jan 28 Full Wolf Moon THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTH,The month begins with the Earth closest to the Sun that it will be all year. The Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and many mistake that as the reason for the seasons, but as you can see we are CLOSEST to the Sun in the WINTER. If you missed the Great Conjunction you still have a chance to view Jupiter and Saturn close together this month. They will get a little lower in the sky each night and will disappear from view by the end of the month. On January 8-11, Jupiter and Saturn will be near Mercury low in the western sky. You will need to catch them close to after sunset as they will set soon thereafter. The only planet visible for most of the night this month will be the planet Mars. The Moon and Mars will make a nice pairing on January 19-21, and if you have binoculars you will see that Uranus is nearby as well. The month ends with a lovely full Wolf Moon. Enjoy the beauty of the night sky this month. It is easier to view the night sky in the winter months as the Sun sets so much earlier. As we have now passed the Winter Solstice the days will be gradually getting longer. OTHER EVENTSUNDERWATER PARKS DAY
JANUARY 16, 2021 / 10:00 AM–3:00 PM Underwater Parks Day is an annual festival celebrating marine protected areas (MPAs) -- the underwater parks that preserve the biodiversity and abundance of ocean life. Join us this year for a series of virtual events hosted on Zoom. 10:00 AM – Pledge to the Coast: Protect Local MPAs 11:30 AM – Art Meets Science for Kids: Garibaldi Gardening 12:30 PM – Lunch and Learn: Dive into Local Underwater Parks with Channelkeeper 2:00 PM – Virtual Animal Encounter and Tour of Sea Center LOW TIDES The best afternoon low tides are in the winter because we are closest to the Sun in the winter so the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon are greater in the winter. The best low tides of the month are around the new Moon on January 13. Jan 10 2:10 PM -1.43 Jan 11 2:55 PM -1.6 Jan 12 3:38 PM -1.7 Jan 13 4:20 PM -1.6 Jan 14 5:00 PM -1.3 EVENTS CALENDARDec 10-12 Moon Near Venus In Morning Dece 13-14 Geminid Meteor Showers Dec 14 New Moon (and solar eclipse in some parts of the world) Dec 14- Jan 5 Winter Bird Count Dec 15 KING Tide and low tide Dec 15-18 Moon Near Jupiter And Saturn Dec 21 WOW !! Winter Solstice AND Rare Conjuction of Jupiter and Saturn!!!!!!!!!!! Dec 22-24 Moon Near Mars Dec 29 Last Full Moon of the Decade THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTHThis month will be an AMAZING month for skywatching! There will be meteor showers and the moon will partner with each of the four planets - Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Even more spectacular is that on the evening of the Winter Solstice, December 21st, Jupiter and Saturn will have a rare GREAT CONJUNCTION. That means that they will be so close to each other as to appear to be a bright double planet. The year 2000 was the last great conjunction of these planets. What a wonderful way to mark the beginning of winter!! KING AND LOW TIDESIn addition to its magnificent night time performance the moon will bring us some high and low tides this month. The high tides will be among the highest of the year, also known as King Tides. The California Coastal Commission has a King Tide Competition. The public is asked to submit photographs of the King Tides. This gives us an idea of the impact of sea level rise on our coast. I am offering a Charter Low Tide Competition as well. Email me ([email protected]) a picture of something cool you saw at the low tide. The winner will receive a science related prize. The King Tides and Low Tides are as follows: KING TIDES Dec 13 Sunday 7:44 AM plus 6.9 feet Dec 14 Monday 8:25 AM plus 7.0 feet Dec 15 Tuesday 9:07 AM plus 6.9 feet LOW TIDES Dec 12 Saturday 2:11 PM minus 1.0 feet Dec 13 Sunday 2:58 PM minus 1.4 feet Dec 14 Monday 3:45 PM minus 1.6 feet Dec 15 Tuesday 4:32 PM minus 1.6 feet Dec 16 Wednesday 5:20 PM minus 1.4 feet SCIENCE WEBSITE AND CHARTER TVI want to remind you that you can find links to all previous science lessons here as well as other science resources at charterscience.weebly.com Also there are some wonderful new posts on CharterTV (password: charter) including Good Night iPad read by Jenny Witherall and The Search for Bigfoot by Tyler and Tatum Grimes. I have added a new Padlet on CharterTV for all Santa Barbara Charter School students and their families to post pictures and videos that they want to share just for fun. To join the Padlet select "free account" Students can sign in with google.
EVENTS CALENDAR See All Five Bright Planets In November Nov 12-13 The Moon Is Near Venus and Mercury before Daybreak Nov 15 New Moon And Extra Low Tides Nov 14-16 Look For Leonid Meteors Before Dawn Nov 16 The Moon Is Near Jupiter And Saturn After Sunset Nov 24-26 The Moon is Near Mars at Dusk Nov 29-30 Full Moon Faint Eclipse at 1:43 a.m. (Nov 30) This month you can see all the planets in our solar system which are visible to the naked eye (without a telescope). In the early mornings before the sun comes up you can see Venus and Mercury together. Then after the sun sets you can see Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars in the evening sky. If you can't tell which are stars and which are planets let the moon be your guide. On November 12-13 the moon will be near Venus and Mercury in the morning sky before sunup. On November 16 it will be near Jupiter and Saturn in the evening and on November 24-26 it will be near Mars at dusk. And though you are unlikely to see it if you happen to wake up at 1:43 in the morning on November 30 you may notice a slight darkening of the moon as it passes through the outer cusp of earth's shadow. In addition to the moon and planets if you are an early riser and get up well before the sun then you may also catch a shooting star or fireball as both the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers are this month. LOW TIDESAnother lovely gift from our Moon is the tide. During the new moon in November we will have some particularly low tides so the weekend of November 14 will be a great time to take the family to the beach in the afternoon for some low tide exploration or after school on Monday the 16th. LOW TIDES Saturday Nov 14 3:01 PM -0.9 feet Sunday Nov 15 3:49 PM -1.2 feet Monday Nov 16 4:41 PM -1.3 feet Science at CharterI am proud of all the science that our students are doing at home. You can see a link to all these lessons here For even more science resources visit our website: charterscience.weebly.com/online-science-resources.html Students in grades 4-6 share their work on PADLET. Homeschool students are welcome to join our PADLET community. Contact me at [email protected] IN THE NEWSThere is always more to be discovered about our world. Maybe you may be the next person to discover something new. For inspiration read this article about a teen who won a contest for researching a molecule that could help develop a medicine to treat COVID 19: www.livescience.com/young-scientists-wins-competition-coronavirus-drug.html
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Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |