Events Calendar August 11 New Moon Supermoon Partial Solar Eclipse (not visible here) August 11-13 Perseid Meteor Showers August 14-16 Moon near Venus and Jupiter near sunset August 18-20 Moon near Saturn and Antares August 20-22 Moon near Saturn and Mars August 23 Moon pairs with Mars August 24 Open House Las Cumbres Observatory 5:30- 7:30 tour of the LCO headquarters in Goleta August 26 Full "Green Corn" Moon The Night Sky this MonthThis month look for bright planets and meteors. The planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars will each be near the moon at some point during the month. The Perseid Meteor Shower should put on a good show this month. According to National Geographic, "Considered one of the most intense annual meteor showers, the Perseids regularly produce up to 60 shooting stars an hour at their peak. This year promises to be particularly good in terms of performance, since the peak will coincide with a dark, moonless sky on the night of August 12 and into the predawn hours of August 13. The thin crescent moon will set during the early evening, creating excellent viewing conditions across the Northern Hemisphere." https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/top-skywatching-events-2018-eclipses-meteors-planets-astronomy/ Try This at HomeExperiments with water. In this heat playing with water seems especially fun. If you don't want a mess just take it outside. Here are 5 experiments from Steve Spangler Science involving water. www.stevespanglerscience.com/2014/09/23/5-cool-science-experiments-using-pretty-much-nothing-water/ In the NewsPee and Poop Power This article describes how human waste is being converted into renewable energy. www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/powered-poop-and-pee Pee Battery
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Events CalendarJuly 6 Earth at Aphelion (furthest distance from the sun) July 13 Friday the 13th New Moon Super Moon Solar Eclipse (not visible here) July 14-16 Moon, Mercury, and Venus July 17 Low Tide Exploration with Leise 8-10 a.m. Coal Oil Point Reserve July 19-22 Moon Near Jupiter July 20 Vandenberg Rocket Launch 5:12 AM July 24-25 Moon Near Saturn July 26 Mars Brightest in 15 Years July 27 Longest Lunar Eclipse (not visible here) and Full Buck Moon Science at Charter LOW TIDE EXPLORATION WITH LEISE - New Location I will meet any interested families at Coal Oil Point Reserve in Goleta at the beach below the porta-potties on Tuesday July 17th from 8:00-10:00 a.m. I will have buckets and field guides. Be aware that the parking is a bit of a walk to the beach. The low tide is a -.0.2 at 8 a.m. so it is not super low but as coal oil point has good low tides in general there is likely plenty to see. If you have questions you can call me at 619-993-4339 or email me at [email protected] The Night Sky This MonthThe Earth reaches aphelion, its furthest distance from the sun, on July 6. Many students mistake the reasons for the seasons as being due to the Earth's elliptical orbit. Pointing out to them that we are actually furthest from the sun in the summer and closest in the winter can help correct this mistake. For Early Birds: Friday the 13th happens to be a Supermoon and a partial solar eclipse (but it is not visible in our part of the world). However it is a new moon so we can't see it. Why bother to point out an invisible Supermoon? Even though we can't see it the Supermoon does have an impact on the tides. The tides tend to be more extreme around the time of the Supermoon. However, the low tides are very early in the morning so they won't help you tide-poolers very much. If your kids are early birds you may want to try hitting the beach Monday or Tuesday July 16 and 17 around 7 or 8 am to catch a fairly low tide. Early birds may also be able to catch the rocket flare from the rocket launch from Vandenberg on July 20 at 5:12 AM. For Night Owls: For those of you who have kids who are more active in the evenings check out the moon, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus this month. Mars will be at its brightest since 2003 because it is at opposition (between the earth and sun) and because it is at its closest to the sun. The moon has lovely pairings with Mercury and Venus on July 14-16, with Jupiter July 19-22 and with Saturn July 24-25. If you are having a hard time identifying these planets try using an app such as the SkyView app. In the NewsVolcanoes ARTICLE: There has been a lot of news coverage of volanoes lately with eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala. This article by the National Science Teacher's Association explains the basics of volcanoes for kids: NSTA Encouraging Young Scientists June 2018 Volcanoes PODCAST: If your kids are into lava the way mine are (stepping on pillows to avoid the lava has long been a favorite game) they may enjoy the Smash, Boom, Best podcast on lava versus quicksand: www.brainson.org/shows/2018/06/27/smashboombest-lava-vs-quicksand? Try This at HomeClassic Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/diy-volcano/ Dirt and Toothpaste Volcano Simulation
www.learnplayimagine.com/2014/01/volcano-science-for-kids.html |
Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |