Trippensee® Elementary® Planetarium 653-3030 (M-M10) (Unlighted) and 653-3040 (M-M20) (Lighted)
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©2010 - v 7/10 Trippensee® Elementary® Planetarium 653-3030 (M-M10) (unlighted) and 653-3040 (M-M20) (lighted) Photo shows M-M20 with lighted sun. M-M10 is unlighted Warranty and Parts: We replace all missing or defective parts free of charge. For additional parts, use part numbers above. We ac- cept Mastercard, Visa, checks, school P.O.'s. All products guaranteed free from defect for 90 days. This guarantee does not include accident, misuse, or normal wear and tear. Astronomy models used around the world for almost 100 years! Introduction not too often overcast and where people's work Exciting discoveries and daring adventures keeps them outside at night, there has been con- continue to focus thinking about our planet Earth, siderable interest in the heavens. The wandering which is, in essence, only a continuously moving movements of the planets through the sky, comets speck of dust in the vast regions of space. With and meteors coming and going, the moon constant- the advent of Sputnik in 1957, all the earth, sun, ly changing its shape as well as its time of rising moon and planetary relationships have assumed and setting, the sun appearing to move southward new importance in our schools as well as in our in the sky, stop, to come back to the north, stop, lives. and to go south again - all this and much more is Serious study of the planets and stars began easily seen by anyone who takes the time to look. long before Sputnik. From the plains of China Because the explanation of so many of these and India to the mountain valleys of the Andes lie happenings appears complicated, many teachers the remains of observatories and religious shrines are hesitant to try to teach them. These planetari- that were built to study and measure the move- ums were designed as an economical teaching aid ments of stars, planets and the moon. More than to explain the motions of the earth and moon and one ancient and medieval ruler rose to power or other planets and how these motions cause many stayed in power solely by his ability to predict an natural phenomena around us. This manual gives eclipse of the sun. Many stone ruins in England an easy explanation of the more important con- and northern France were built to correlate the cepts of the earth in space as taught in astronomy, activities of the sun and moon. In northern Eu- elementary science, earth science, physical geogra- rope the winter solstice was a joyous occasion for phy and physical science classes. This is followed at that time the sun had stopped moving south- by a list of individual, group and class activities ward and was now getting ready to return north that will aid in the student's better understanding to bring forth a new productive season. of our planet. In those parts of the world where the skies are 1 SCIENCE FIRST® | 86475 Gene Lasserre Blvd., Yulee, FL 32097 | 800-875-3214 | www.sciencefirst.com | [email protected] SCIENCE FIRST® | 86475 Gene Lasserre Blvd., Yulee, FL 32097 | 800-875-3214 | www.sciencefirst.com | [email protected] ©2010 - v 7/10 ® • How to locate the well-known stars and the large groups of millions of stars The Trippensee in the sky called galaxies. As new telescopes and planetarium • The location of the standard time other scientific instruments are devel- This planetarium is a manually zones on the earth oped, the "boundaries' of the universe operated device used to demonstrate • Some difficulties of space travel. are constantly being pushed farther and some of the real and apparent motions farther away. The question of the size of the sun, earth and moon. The spatial Scale of the planetarium and shape of the universe is not yet relationship of these celestial bodies Great difficulties are encountered in answered; it remains one of the funda- with each other and the other members attempting to represent the vastness of mental problems of astronomy. of the solar system are made easier to the solar system with a reasonable size New galaxies are constantly being visualize with the planetarium. model. The elementary planetarium discovered as astronomers continue to Many of the phenomena observed shows the relative sizes and distances study the sky. Our sun is a member of on the earth caused by the presence of the sun, earth and moon only in a the galaxy known as the Milky Way. of the sun and moon can be explained general way. For instance, if the whole The Milky Way is shaped like a large by using the planetarium to show the planetarium were made to the same flattened disk with spiral arms radiating interrelation that exists between these scale as a 3" earth globe, the sun would out from the center. See Figure 1. The objects and the earth. be 27' in diameter and 1/2 mile away! sun is located between the outer edge If, instead, the planetarium were to be and center of the galaxy. Large clouds of gas and dust called nebulae are Description correctly scaled from the 6"sun globe, found among the stars of the galaxies. The planetarium has five (5) main the earth would be the size of the letter The information about the starts, parts. The sun, earth and moon are "o" and would be 50' from the sun! nebulae, and galaxies is obtained by represented by globes of different sizes. Because of the difficulty of showing studying the light emitted by these The supporting arm of the instrument is the exact scale of the celestial bodies, objects. Giant telescopes are used to equipped with a compass. The compass the planetarium represents only relative observe and photograph the various is used with the zodiac and calendar sizes and distances and some important parts of the sky. Light travels at the found on the base to located objects motions and relationships. fastest know speed, in once second it and positions in the sky. The planetarium is operated by moves a distance of 186,000 miles, The The sun is the large yellow globe holding the standard in the left hand great speed of light helps us to under- located directly above the base of so that the arm can be turned until it stand the tremendous separation of the the planetarium. The earth globe is is directly over December 21 on the stars and galaxies in the universe. The mounted on the main arm opposite the calendar plate on the base. Now move distance between the sun and the earth sun while the moon, also a half white the entire instrument, without turning is small in comparison to the distance and half black globe, revolves around the arm, until the compass points north between stars. Yet it takes light from the earth. Both the earth and moon along the arm toward the earth globe. the sun about 8.5 minutes to reach the revolve around the sun when the arm of These operations place the planetarium earth. The speed of light is helpful the instrument is turned. in the proper orientation with respect to space and time (by the stars and the in measuring large distances. These A list of demonstrations include: calendar). The planetarium will now distances are given in light years, the • The reason for the occurrence of correctly show the changing aspects of distance light travels in one year. night and day the planets and the moon when the arm Celestial bodies show two basic • The variation in the length of day- is rotated by grasping the pin below motions - rotation and revolution. light the arm and pushing it in a counter- Rotation is the turning or spinning on • The moment of the earth around the clockwise direction. This direction of an axis through the body. Revolution is sun from west to east motion causes the arm to pass above motion around a point outside the body. • The appearance of midnight sun in the calendar months on the base of the The spiral form of many of the visible the arctic. instrument in the proper sequence from galaxies indicates that they are rotat- • The cause of the seasons December to January and the other ing around a center common to each of • Why only one side of the moon is months of the year. their millions of individual stars. The seen from the earth stars also rotate. Our sun rotates on • The cause of phases of the moon its own axis and, with the entire solar • The occurrence of tides on earth The Universe system, revolves around the center • How eclipses of the sun and moon The universe includes all the of the Milky Way galaxy. About 800 occur things that exist. In astronomy, we are million years are required for the sun • Location of the signs of the zodiac. particularly interested in that part of to complete one trip about the center of • Why the North Star does not change the universe which includes the stars, our galaxy. its position in the sky planets, moon, meteors and comets, 2 SCIENCE FIRST® | 86475 Gene Lasserre Blvd., Yulee, FL 32097 | 800-875-3214 | www.sciencefirst.com | [email protected] SCIENCE FIRST® | 86475 Gene Lasserre Blvd., Yulee, FL 32097 | 800-875-3214 | www.sciencefirst.com | [email protected] ©2010 - v 7/10 A great circle is the largest circle Twelve o'clock noon occurs in a that can be drawn on the surface of a time zone when the sun is directly over sphere. The center of a great circle is one of the 24 standard meridians.