MS-ESS1-1: Eclipse 

• Define eclipse.
• Determine how eclipses occur.
• Use the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to identify types of eclipses.
• Identify the umbra and penumbra.
• Describe the corona.

Lesson Plan Title: Exploring Solar and Lunar Eclipses

Grade Level: Middle School (MS-ESS1-1)

Objective: Students will understand the differences between solar and lunar eclipses, their causes, and their significance in astronomy.

Materials:

• Interactive Whiteboard or Projector
• Videos and Diagrams of Solar and Lunar Eclipses
• Paper Plates
• Flashlights
• Small Balls (representing the moon)
• Small Earth Globe
• Markers and Crayons
• Notebooks and Writing Utensils

Duration: 1 class period (approximately 60 minutes)

Introduction (15 minutes):

1. Begin with a short video explaining the basics of solar and lunar eclipses.
2. Discuss the students' prior knowledge about eclipses. Ask questions to gauge their understanding.
3. Introduce the learning objectives for the lesson.

Activity 1: Solar Eclipse Demonstration (20 minutes):

1. Use the Earth globe, moon balls, and flashlight to demonstrate a solar eclipse. Explain how the moon blocks the sunlight from reaching the Earth, casting a shadow.
2. Allow students to participate by blocking the "sunlight" with their moon balls, simulating different phases of a solar eclipse.
3. Discuss the significance of solar eclipses in different cultures and historical contexts.

Activity 2: Lunar Eclipse Demonstration (20 minutes):

1. Use the Earth globe, moon balls, and a paper plate to demonstrate a lunar eclipse. Show how the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon.
2. Students can use crayons and markers to represent the Earth's shadow on their paper plates, demonstrating the phases of a lunar eclipse.
3. Discuss the cultural and historical importance of lunar eclipses in various civilizations.

Closure (5 minutes):

1. Recap the key points about solar and lunar eclipses.
2. Ask students to write a short paragraph in their notebooks explaining one interesting fact they learned about eclipses.
3. Encourage students to share their paragraphs with the class, promoting discussion.

Assessment:

• Student participation in the eclipse demonstrations.
• Completion and accuracy of the lunar eclipse diagrams on paper plates.
• Engagement in class discussions and questions asked during the lesson.

Understanding Eclipses - Vocabulary and DefinitionS

Introduction:

Eclipse:An astronomical event that occurs when one celestial body moves into the shadow of another celestial body. In our context, it refers to the moon or Earth moving into the shadow of the other.
Solar Eclipse:** A phenomenon in which the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking all or part of the sun's light. There are total, partial, and annular solar eclipses.

Lunar Eclipse: A phenomenon in which the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, causing the Earth's shadow to cover the moon partially or entirely. There are penumbral, partial, and total lunar eclipses.

Solar Eclipse Vocabulary:
Penumbra: The outer part of a shadow, where the light source is only partially blocked. In a solar eclipse, this refers to the outer region of the moon's shadow on Earth.
Umbra: The central, darkest part of a shadow where the light source is completely blocked. In a solar eclipse, this is the region where the moon completely blocks the sun.

Lunar Eclipse Vocabulary:

Penumbral Eclipse: A lunar eclipse that occurs when the moon passes through Earth's penumbra. It's subtle and difficult to observe.
Partial Lunar Eclipse:A lunar eclipse that occurs when only a part of the moon enters Earth's umbra, creating a partial shadow on the moon's surface.
Total Lunar Eclipse: A lunar eclipse that occurs when the entire moon passes through Earth's umbra, causing the moon to appear reddish, known as a "blood moon."

Additional Terminology:

Corona: The outer atmosphere of the sun, visible during a total solar eclipse as a pearly white halo.
Annular Eclipse: A type of solar eclipse where the moon is too far away from Earth to completely cover the sun, leaving a ring-like appearance of the sun's disk.

Importance and Impact:

Cultural Significance:Eclipses have cultural significance in various civilizations, often associated with myths, legends, and rituals.
Scientific Study: Eclipses provide scientists with valuable opportunities to study celestial bodies, the sun's corona, and Earth's atmosphere.
Historical Records: Historically, eclipses have been recorded for centuries, helping astronomers calculate past astronomical events and refine our understanding of Earth's orbit.

1. Seeing the Moon During the Day
2. Star Trails
3. How Do Sundials Work?
4. Total Solar Eclipse

1. Definition of an Orbit:

   • An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one due to gravitational attraction.

2. Satellites:

   • Objects in an orbit are called satellites. Satellites can be natural (like planets, moons, comets, and asteroids) or man-made (like the International Space Station).

3. Types of Satellites:

   • Natural satellites include celestial bodies like Earth's moon, and many planets have moons orbiting around them.
   • Man-made satellites are human-engineered objects, like communication satellites or scientific probes.

4. Solar System Orbits:

   • Planets, comets, asteroids, and other objects in the solar system orbit the sun.
   • Most objects in the solar system move along or close to an imaginary flat surface called the ecliptic plane.

The object in orbit is being constantly pulled towards the object it orbits by gravity, and its forward motion is what keeps it from falling into it.Orbit is the curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon, especially a periodic elliptical revolution.

Planets, comets, asteroids and other objects in the solar system orbit the sun. Most of the objects orbiting the sun move along or close to an imaginary flat surface. This imaginary surface is called the ecliptic plane.

1. Newton's First Law of Motion:

   • An object in motion will remain in motionunless acted upon by an external force. 

2. Gravity's Role in Orbits:

   • Earth's gravity pulls Earth-orbiting satellites back toward the planet, preventing them from moving off into space in a straight line.

3. Balancing Forces for Orbits:

   • For an object to enter and maintain an orbit, the forward momentum (or speed) of the object must be balanced with the gravitational pull from the planet.
   • If the momentum is too high, the object will speed past and not enter orbit. If it's too low, the object will be pulled down and crash.
   • When these forces are balanced, the object is in a constant state of free fall toward the planet but moves sideways fast enough to avoid crashing into it.

4. Orbital Velocity:

   • Orbital velocity is the speed required for an object to stay in a stable orbit around a celestial body.
   • At an altitude of 150 miles (242 kilometers) above Earth, the orbital velocity is about 17,000 miles per hour.
   • Satellites at higher orbits have slower orbital velocities because the gravitational pull weakens with distance from Earth.

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience it. The sky will become very dark and the Sun’s Corona, the outer atmosphere, which   is otherwise usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun is visible.

A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but the Sun, Moon and Earth are not perfectly lined up.
The Sun appears to have a dark shadow on only part of its surface. During a total eclipse the area covered by the Moon’s inner shadow sees a partial solar eclipse.

An annular solar eclipse takes place when the Moon is centered in front of the Sun but does not completely cover the Sun’s disk. Because the Moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical, rather than circular, an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is further away from Earth and therefore appears smaller. The famous “ring of fire” phenomenon is visible.

During a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue.

 An imperfect alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon results in the Moon passing through only part of Earth's umbra. The shadow recedes without ever entirely covering the Moon.

 An imperfect alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon results in the Moon passing through only part of Earth's umbra. The shadow recedes without ever entirely covering the Moon.

In general, an umbra is the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by an object. The penumbra is the outer part of a shadow, where the light source is only partially blocked.

The boundary between the umbra and the penumbra is called the "umbral boundary." The size of the umbra and penumbra depends on the size of the object casting the shadow, as well as the distance between the object, the light source, and the surface on which the shadow is cast.

During an eclipse, two shadows are cast. The first is called the umbra. This shadow gets smaller as it goes away from the sun. It is the dark center of the eclipse shadow. The second shadow is called the penumbra. The penumbra gets larger as it goes away from the sun.

 Solar eclipse moon casta a shadow on certain parts of the earth.

The Moon's umbra is the darkest and smallest part of the shadow cast by the Moon as it passes between the Sun and the Earth. This is the area where the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon, and a total solar eclipse is visible. The penumbra is the lighter, larger part of the shadow, where the Sun is only partially blocked by the Moon, and a partial solar eclipse is visible. The size and shape of the umbra and penumbra are determined by the relative positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun.

Lunar eclipse earth casts a shadow on the moon.

During a lunar eclipse  the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon's surface. The umbra is the central, dark shadow where direct sunlight is completely blocked, causing a total lunar eclipse when the Moon passes through it. The penumbra is the outer, lighter shadow where only a portion of the sunlight is blocked, resulting in a penumbral lunar eclipse when the Moon passes through this region.

1. Solar Energy: The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth. Understanding how solar energy is received and absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and surface is crucial.

2. Solar Radiation and Seasons: The tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbit around the Sun results in different angles of solar radiation reaching different parts of the Earth during different times of the year. This variation in solar radiation causes the changing seasons.

3. Solar Eclipses: Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun's light. This phenomenon is a direct result of the Earth-sun-moon system and is a crucial aspect of NGSS Standard MS-ESS1-1.

4. Sun's Life Cycle: Understanding that the Sun is a star, and like all stars, it has a life cycle, is also essential. Students can learn about the birth, evolution, and eventual fate of the Sun, gaining a broader perspective on the celestial processes within our solar system.

The Sun is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium gases. About 74% of the Sun's mass is hydrogen, and approximately 24% is helium. These two elements dominate the Sun's composition, and their fusion in the Sun's core produces the tremendous amount of energy that powers the Sun and provides light and heat to our solar system.

In addition to hydrogen and helium, the Sun contains trace amounts of other elements, including heavier elements like carbon, oxygen, neon, and iron. These elements make up the remaining 2% of the Sun's composition.

The Sun's interior is structured into several layers, each with distinct properties. The core, where nuclear fusion occurs, is extremely hot and dense, with temperatures reaching millions of degrees Celsius. In the core, hydrogen atoms are fused together to form helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the process. This fusion process is what powers the Sun and produces sunlight.

Surrounding the core, there are layers called the radiative zone and the convective zone, where energy generated in the core gradually makes its way toward the surface through a series of radiation and convection processes. Finally, the outermost layer of the Sun is called the photosphere, which is the visible surface of the Sun that emits light and heat into space.

The Sun's composition and the processes occurring within it are essential for understanding the fundamental principles of stellar physics and the energy that sustains life on Earth.

The outer atmosphere of the Sun, the corona, is characterized by temperatures above few million degrees. The hot coronal plasma is mostly confined in huge loops of magnetic field beginning and ending on the solar photosphere.

These magnetic loops are the building blocks of the solar corona. The model shows one of this loop (red-yellow arch in the scene) which is heated up to temperatures of 3-4 million degrees due to energy release at the loop foot points. 

Solar flares are intense bursts of energy and radiation from the Sun's surface. While not directly related to lunar phases, eclipses, or seasons, understanding solar flares is crucial in the context of the Earth-sun-moon system because they are a result of complex interactions within this system. Solar flares are often associated with sunspots, which are temporary phenomena on the Sun's photosphere (visible surface). Sunspots and solar flares are part of the Sun's magnetic activity cycle, which influences space weather and can impact technologies on Earth.