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Project Summary

Difficulty  7  –  8 
Time required Very Long (several weeks to months)


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* Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.

Abstract

Some claim the Moon appears larger when near the horizon. Make a series of observations of the Moon, measuring the Moon's angular diameter each time. You should also note the Moon's altitude above the horizon, and the Moon's phase. You should do background research on the lunar orbit to determine the necessary time period. Do you find predictable variations in the Moon's diameter? Can you relate this to the Moon's changing distance from Earth? From your data, try to determine when apogee and perigee occurred during your observations. Compare your calculated answer with published dates (Pierce, 2005). For another method of measuring the distance to the Moon, see How Far Away Is the Moon?.

Bibliography

Pierce, J., 2004. "Ideas for Astronomy Science Fair Projects," Astronomy Program, Minnesota State University, Mankato [accessed July 31, 2006] http://www.mnsu.edu/astro/JP/JPScifair.html.

Variations


Last edit date: 2006-12-14 13:56:56


Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Astronomy.

Astronomer
Astronomers think big! They want to understand the entire universe—the nature of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, galaxies, and everything in between. An astronomer's work can be pure science—gathering and analyzing data from instruments and creating theories about the nature of cosmic objects—or the work can be applied to practical problems in space flight and navigation, or satellite communications.
 



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