scholarly journals Undergraduate students’ understanding of the Moon phase change in a course for trainee teachers in compulsory education

2019 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 02008
Author(s):  
Norihito Kawamura ◽  
Yuusei Naganuma

The authors conducted two classes for undergraduate students. The aim of these experimental classes is to find better way to reduce the number of students with misconceptions related to the Moon’s phase change and increase the number of students with correct understanding of a lunar eclipse. To make deep knowledge of a lunar eclipse, in one class, we carried out practical work utilizing the scale size model kits. In another class, the students performed the work utilizing conceptual model kits. Finally, we found that the scale size model kit could reduce the number of students who believe the Moon phase change occurs due to a lunar eclipse.

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (11) ◽  
pp. 417-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst Zürcher

Ancient forest utilization regulations regarding felling dates and wood use are compared to the moon cycles. Furthermore, moon-phase related investigations with regard to germination behaviour, insect infestation and durability of the wood are presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A156
Author(s):  
K. G. Strassmeier ◽  
I. Ilyin ◽  
E. Keles ◽  
M. Mallonn ◽  
A. Järvinen ◽  
...  

Context. Observations of the Earthshine off the Moon allow for the unique opportunity to measure the large-scale Earth atmosphere. Another opportunity is realized during a total lunar eclipse which, if seen from the Moon, is like a transit of the Earth in front of the Sun. Aims. We thus aim at transmission spectroscopy of an Earth transit by tracing the solar spectrum during the total lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019. Methods. Time series spectra of the Tycho crater were taken with the Potsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument (PEPSI) at the Large Binocular Telescope in its polarimetric mode in Stokes IQUV at a spectral resolution of 130 000 (0.06 Å). In particular, the spectra cover the red parts of the optical spectrum between 7419–9067 Å. The spectrograph’s exposure meter was used to obtain a light curve of the lunar eclipse. Results. The brightness of the Moon dimmed by 10.m75 during umbral eclipse. We found both branches of the O2 A-band almost completely saturated as well as a strong increase of H2O absorption during totality. A pseudo O2 emission feature remained at a wavelength of 7618 Å, but it is actually only a residual from different P-branch and R-branch absorptions. It nevertheless traces the eclipse. The deep penumbral spectra show significant excess absorption from the Na I 5890-Å doublet, the Ca II infrared triplet around 8600 Å, and the K I line at 7699 Å in addition to several hyper-fine-structure lines of Mn I and even from Ba II. The detections of the latter two elements are likely due to an untypical solar center-to-limb effect rather than Earth’s atmosphere. The absorption in Ca II and K I remained visible throughout umbral eclipse. Our radial velocities trace a wavelength dependent Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of the Earth eclipsing the Sun as seen from the Tycho crater and thereby confirm earlier observations. A small continuum polarization of the O2 A-band of 0.12% during umbral eclipse was detected at 6.3σ. No line polarization of the O2 A-band, or any other spectral-line feature, is detected outside nor inside eclipse. It places an upper limit of ≈0.2% on the degree of line polarization during transmission through Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Vignoli ◽  
Manuela D’Amen ◽  
Francesca Della Rocca ◽  
Marco A. Bologna ◽  
Luca Luiselli

Many studies have provided evidence that prey adjust their behaviour to adaptively balance the fitness effects of reproduction and predation risk. Nocturnal terrestrial animals should deal with a range of environmental conditions during the reproductive season at the breeding sites, including a variable amount of natural ambient light. High degrees of illumination are expected to minimize those behaviours that might increase the animal detection by predators. Therefore, under habitat variable brightness conditions and in different ecosystems, the above mentioned behaviours are expected to depend on the variation in predation risk. Although moon effects on amphibian biology have been recognized, the direction of this influence is rather controversial with evidences of both increased and depressed activity under full moon. We tested in four nocturnal amphibian species (Hyla intermedia, Rana dalmatina, Rana italica, Salamandrina perspicillata) the effects of different (i) light conditions and (ii) habitats (open land vs. dense forest) on the reproductive phenology. Our results showed that the effects of the lunar cycle on the study species are associated with the change in luminosity, and there is no evidence of an endogenous rhythm controlled by biological clocks. The habitat type conditioned the amphibian reproductive strategy in relation to moon phases. Open habitat breeders (e.g., ponds with no canopy cover) strongly avoided conditions with high brightness, whereas forest habitat breeders were apparently unaffected by the different moon phases. Indeed, for all the studied species no effects of the moon phase itself on the considered metrics were found. Rather, the considered amphibian species seem to be conditioned mainly by moonlight irrespective of the moon phase. The two anurans spawning in open habitat apparently adjust their oviposition timing by balancing the fitness effects of the risk to be detected by predators and the reproduction.


1968 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L. Maier
Keyword(s):  

It seems paradoxical that the event which has divided our reckoning of time into years B.C. and A.D. should itself seem largely undatable. The birth of Christ is variously assigned to the years ranging from 7 to 2 B.C. The terminus ad quem must certainly be the death of Herod the Great, since the king was very much alive during the visit of the Magi in the Christmas story. According to Josephus, Herod died soon after an eclipse of the moon and not long before a Passover. Emil Schürer's chronology of Herod's reign from the accounts of Josephus, which has long been standard, identifies this as the lunar eclipse which took place on the night of March 12/13, 4 B.C., and which would have been visible in Judea. It also occurred one month before the Passover that year. On this basis, the birth of Jesus could not have been later than the spring of 4 B.C., and most likely took place in the winter of 5/4 B.C.


Author(s):  
M. Scaioni ◽  
P. Giommi ◽  
M. T. Brunetti ◽  
C. Carli ◽  
P. Cerroni ◽  
...  

The research project ‘Moon Mapping’ has been established in 2014 between the Italian and Chinese Governments to promote cooperation and exchange between undergraduate students from both countries. The operational phase of the project started in early 2015, and will end in 2017, for a total length of three years. The main aim is to train new scholars to be able to work on different kinds of remotely-sensed data collected over the Moon surface by the Chinese space missions Chang’E-1/2. The project coordination has been assigned to the Italian Space Agency for the Italian side and to the Center of Space Exploration, China Ministry of Education, for the Chinese side. Several Chinese universities and Italian national research institutes and universities have been officially involved in this project. Six main research topics have been identified: (1) map of the solar wind ion; (2) geomorphological map of the Moon; (3) data preprocessing of Chang’E-1 mission; (4) map of element distribution; (5) establishment of 3D digital visualization system; and (6) compilation and publication of a tutorial on joint lunar mapping.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-210
Author(s):  
Errizal Machmud Putra ◽  
Rini Pramesti ◽  
Gunawan Widi Santosa

Rajungan (Portunus pelagicus) merupakan komoditas unggulan Indonesia. Perairan Betahwalang, Kabupaten Demak memiliki sumberdaya rajungan yang  potensial dengan tingkat eksploitasi yang tinggi. Rajungan ini ditangkap setiap hari tanpa memperhatikan faktor alam berupa fase bulan yang menyebabkan menurunnya populasi. Informasi penangkapan berdasarkan fase bulan diperlukan agar populasi rajungan dapat terjaga. Tujuan Penelitian ini adalah mengkaji jumlah dan sebaran morfometri rajungan yang tertangkap pada fase bulan purnama dan bulan baru di perairan Betahwalang. Penelitian ini dilakukan dari November 2017 sampai Februari 2018 di perairan Betahwalang. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu metode deskriptif. Penentuan lokasi penelitian berdasarkan area penangkapan rajungan di perairan Betahwalang. Pengambilan data dilakukan 8 kali dari tanggal 5 November 2017 sampai 18 Februari 2018. Pengambilan data berupa jumlah, lebar karapas, berat, jenis kelamin rajungan, dan parameter lingkungan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan total rajungan tertangkap yaitu 448 ekor, 296 ekor pada Bulan Purnama dan 152 ekor pada Bulan Baru. Morfometri rajungan ukuran ≤ 10 cm pada Bulan Purnama 190 ekor lebih banyak dari Bulan Baru 90 ekor. Rajungan ukuran > 10 cm pada Bulan Baru 106 ekor lebih banyak dari Bulan Baru 62 ekor. Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) is Indonesia's flagship commodity. The waters of Betahwalang, Demak Regancy have potential Blue Swimming Crab resources with high levels of exploitation.  The crabs are catched every day regardless of natural factors, such as the moon phase that causes the population to decline. Blue Swimming Crab catch’s information based on the moon phase is required for the population to sustaine. The purpose of this research is to study the amount and distribution of Blue Swimming Crab morphometry catched on the full and new moon phase in Betahwalang waters. The study was conducted from November  2017 till February 2018 in the waters of Betahwalang. The research method used was descriptive method. Determination of research location based on Blue Swimming Crab catching area in Betahwalang waters. The data were collected 8 times from November 5, 2017 till February 18, 2018. Data were collected in number, width of carapace, weight, sex, and environmental parameters. The results showed total of catched crabs, were 296 crabs on Full Moon, and 152 crabs on New Moon. Blue Swimming Crab morphometry size ≤ 10 cm on Full Moon was 190 crabs more than New Moon was 90 crabs. Then, in Size> 10 cm on New Moon was 106 crabs more than New Moon was 62 crabs.


1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1183-1186 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Doucet ◽  
J. R. Bider

Activity of Microtus pennsylvanicus was recorded as the number of crossings per day over a sand transect during four consecutive summers. Appropriate samples were selected to test the effects of both moon phases and moonlight on activity. Initially the results of tests comparing new moon to full moon phases showed that the voles were more active during new moon in only 3 of 10 discreet paired samples tested. However, when the effects of sampling sequence, phenology of population growth, date at which moon phases occurred, and, finally, the effect of climate were all considered as factors which could have affected the above results, it seemed reasonable to conclude that the new moon phase tended to be associated with higher activity. To establish if moonlight by itself, independent of phases, was a factor affecting the activity, tests were made during brightest and darkest nights of the lunar month and results indicated that moonlight did not affect the differences in activity found in the moon phase tests.


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