DOCSLIB.ORG

Over the Moon!

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Over the Moon! 30 31 MOO ASTRONOMY OVER THE The N p in View Sir John Herschel final account, people began asking why no other newspapers had reported the event. Some folks began to doubt the stories, but they enjoyed them all the same. The articles became known as The Great Moon Hoax. No one at the newspaper ever admitted that the story was a fantasy, and the true identity of the writer l We see the same side, or hemisphere, of was never revealed. the Moon all the time because Earth’s Herschel, who was living gravity has slowed the Moon’s rotation; in South Africa at the now one Moon rotation and one Moon time, learned about the TR hoax months later. revolution around Earth take the same EX A! EXTRA! Read All About It! amount of time. l The surface of the Moon may appear to be n 1835, the publishers of The New York Sun newspaper wanted to silvery gray, white, or pale yellow, but it sell more papers. So, on August 25, the first of a series of articles appeared claiming that British astronomer Sir John Herschel had is primarily charcoal gray. The presence of used a gigantic telescope to discover life on the Moon. The reporter iron oxide creates reds, and titanium oxide claimed that Herschel had seen blue unicorns, horned bears, beavers that introduces shades of blue. A full Moon may walked on two feet, and humans with wings (“man-bats”), as well appear orange because Earth’s atmosphere as sheep, zebras, pelicans, cranes, and other exotic creatures amid r acts as a filter, minimizing the blues. amethyst obelisks, volcanic mountains, and forests. Reports of the Moon’s inhabitants Readers were fascinated, and sales of the newspaper took off. described “man-bats,” horned q The articles ran for 6 days ending on August 31. Yet even before that bears, and exotic creatures. continued 32 33 Y O U THE I D ASTRONOMY D KNOW Moonlight: a term that refers to holding a second FULL NAMES job, usually at night o The celestial body that Moonflower: A member of the morning glory family, revolves around Earth has it blooms o many names . in? the r evening The English word “moon” comes and usually from the Old English MONA. On the surface of the Moon in 1971, Apollo 15 lunar closes by module pilot Jim Irwin prepared the lunar rover for morning. In Italian, Latin, and Spanish, the orb the first lunar ride. is called LUNA, for the Roman Moon goddess. l Moondust, also called lunar regolith, is In French, the word for moon is LUNE. retroreflective. Like a road sign, it reflects light back to the source (the Sun). Some Germans use MOND. sunlight rays bounce off the o Moon and travel to Earth. Celestial bodies that hold the same During a full Moon, Earth is Moon jellyfish: Found position around other planets as roughly in the same direction in abundance in the mid- the Moon does around Earth are as the Sun, so it receives Atlantic Ocean, it has an collectively called “moons.” more reflected sunlight than 18-inch umbrella, or disc, that q at other times. resembles a flying saucer. Jupiter’s largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto l Because the Moon reflects Get the date of the next full Moon at Almanac4kids.com/Sky. On the full all light wavelengths and we q Moon day, take a sheet of white paper and cut a hole in it about ¼ inch most often view it at night COLOR in diameter. On that night, look at the Moon through the hole, while against a black sky, it holding the paper at arm’s length and shining a white light on the paper. appears nearly white or CHECK Now what color is the Moon? (The answer is below.) yellowish most of the time. Answer: dull gray dull Answer: continued q 34 35 One Size Fits All stranded on THE ASTRONOMY ometimes when a full Moon sits low on the horizon, it appears to be enormous. S Some people mistakenly believe MO that the full Moon appears large because our ON atmosphere magnifies our image of it. This is known as the “Moon illusion.” In fact, the Moon is not magnified nor does it change size: l When the Moon is high l When the Moon is low, it is overhead, it is dwarfed by viewed in proximity to earthly An artist’s concept of a space tug the vast hemisphere of the objects, such as chimneys or docked with a lunar lander, orbiting heavens. trees, the size and shape of Earth while preparing for its journey which provide scale. to the Moon’s surface magine that you are part of a space — box of matches — self-igniting signal flares Plant potatoes exploration mission flying from a — food concentrate when the Moon is space station orbiting the Moon to an magnetic — 50 feet of nylon — setting, or the crop occupied base on the Moon itself. An rope compass LORE will be shallow and Myths and legends about instrument malfunction causes you 5 gallons of — parachute silk — the Moon abound. While every potato will be I to crash on the Moon on the daylight water solar-powered they are not scientific, they badly sunburned. side about 75 miles from the base. At — heating unit — solar-powered have a long and colorful this location, the Moon’s day has just FM walkie-talkie two .45 caliber history. Here are a few: begun (daytime on the Moon lasts — pistols — first aid kit about 2 Earth weeks). Your spacecraft containing is in need of repair, and your survival — one case of needles (for powdered milk vitamins, Plant corn when the depends on reaching the Moon base medicine, etc.) — two tanks of LUNAR Moon is rising, and as soon as possible. oxygen that will fit you will have a very Of the 15 items that were not through a tall stalk with the ear damaged in the crash, which would — stellar map of special aperture the Moon’s hanging straight down be most important for the trip? Rank in spacesuits constellations the stalk so that no the items from most important (#1) to self-inflating raft Build a fence when the Moon is water can enter. least important (#15), then compare — i Nails and hair grow that uses carbon turn the page setting, and the bottom rail will faster if cut by the your rankings with those assigned dioxide canisters to see rankings be buried in 3 years. light of the Moon. by experts. for inflation by experts 36 An artist’s impression of a manned lunar base experts’ rankings 1. two tanks of oxygen, essential for 9. self-inflating life raft: the CO2 bottle survival in it may be used for propulsion 2. 5 gallons of water, to replace the 10. signal flares, specially designed for tremendous liquid loss on the lighted an environment with no oxygen, for side of the Moon sending distress signals 3. stellar map of the Moon’s constellations, 11. two .45-caliber pistols, a possible your primary means of navigation means of self-propulsion when fired 4. food concentrate, an efficient means 12. one case of powdered milk, useful but of supplying energy requirements bulkier than food concentrate 5. solar-powered FM walkie-talkie, 13. solar-powered heating unit: not used for communication with the rescue needed unless you are on the dark party at the Moon base (Note: FM side requires line-of-sight transmission 14. magnetic compass: worthless for and short ranges.) navigation because the magnetic 6. 50 feet of nylon rope, for scaling cliffs field on the Moon is not polarized 7. first aid kit: the vitamins, medicines, 15. box of matches: virtually worthless etc., help to sustain health because there is no oxygen on the Moon to sustain flame 8. parachute silk, to provide protection from the Sun’s rays.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • For Creative Minds
    For Creative Minds The For Creative Minds educational section may be photocopied or printed from our website by the owner of this book for educational, non-commercial uses. Cross-curricular teaching activities, interactive quizzes, and more are available online. Go to www.ArbordalePublishing.com and click on the book’s cover to explore all the links. Moon Observations The months as we know them (January, February, etc.) are solar, based on how many days it takes the earth to revolve around the sun, roughly divided by twelve. A moon-th, or lunar (moon) month, is based on how long it takes the moon to orbit around the earth. The phases (shapes) of the moon change according to its cycle as it rotates around the earth, and the position of the moon with respect to the rising or setting sun. This cycle lasts about 29 ½ days. A (moon) month starts on “day one” with a new moon. The sun and the moon are in the same position and rise and set together. We can’t see the new moon. New Moon The moon rises and sets roughly 50 minutes later each day. The moon appears to “grow” or it waxes each day from a new moon to a full moon. The waxing moon’s bright side points at the setting Waxing sun and can be seen in the late afternoon on a clear day. Crescent A crescent moon is between new and half (less than half full), and may be waxing or waning. First Quarter The half-moon waxing or first quarter moon occurs about a week after the new moon.
    [Show full text]
  • Moons Phases and Tides
    Moon’s Phases and Tides Moon Phases Half of the Moon is always lit up by the sun. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we see different parts of the lighted area. From Earth, the lit portion we see of the moon waxes (grows) and wanes (shrinks). The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon look as if it is changing shape in the sky The Moon passes through four major shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every 29.5 days. The phases always follow one another in the same order: New moon Waxing Crescent First quarter Waxing Gibbous Full moon Waning Gibbous Third (last) Quarter Waning Crescent • IF LIT FROM THE RIGHT, IT IS WAXING OR GROWING • IF DARKENING FROM THE RIGHT, IT IS WANING (SHRINKING) Tides • The Moon's gravitational pull on the Earth cause the seas and oceans to rise and fall in an endless cycle of low and high tides. • Much of the Earth's shoreline life depends on the tides. – Crabs, starfish, mussels, barnacles, etc. – Tides caused by the Moon • The Earth's tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon. • The Earth bulges slightly both toward and away from the Moon. -As the Earth rotates daily, the bulges move across the Earth. • The moon pulls strongly on the water on the side of Earth closest to the moon, causing the water to bulge. • It also pulls less strongly on Earth and on the water on the far side of Earth, which results in tides. What causes tides? • Tides are the rise and fall of ocean water.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars
    Heavenly Mathematics: The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars Helmer Aslaksen Department of Mathematics National University of Singapore [email protected] www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/ www.chinesecalendar.net 1 Public Holidays There are 11 public holidays in Singapore. Three of them are secular. 1. New Year’s Day 2. Labour Day 3. National Day The remaining eight cultural, racial or reli- gious holidays consist of two Chinese, two Muslim, two Indian and two Christian. 2 Cultural, Racial or Religious Holidays 1. Chinese New Year and day after 2. Good Friday 3. Vesak Day 4. Deepavali 5. Christmas Day 6. Hari Raya Puasa 7. Hari Raya Haji Listed in order, except for the Muslim hol- idays, which can occur anytime during the year. Christmas Day falls on a fixed date, but all the others move. 3 A Quick Course in Astronomy The Earth revolves counterclockwise around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The Earth ro- tates counterclockwise around an axis that is tilted 23.5 degrees. March equinox June December solstice solstice September equinox E E N S N S W W June equi Dec June equi Dec sol sol sol sol Beijing Singapore In the northern hemisphere, the day will be longest at the June solstice and shortest at the December solstice. At the two equinoxes day and night will be equally long. The equi- noxes and solstices are called the seasonal markers. 4 The Year The tropical year (or solar year) is the time from one March equinox to the next. The mean value is 365.2422 days.
    [Show full text]
  • Bright As the Full Moon: How Much to Light up the Night?
    Bright as The Full Moon: How Much to Light Up The Night? A reprint of the Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting website page at http://www.illinoislighting.org/moonlight.html We humans are biologically a diurnal species. While all of our other senses function as well at night as during the day (or perhaps sometimes even more sharply), our eyesight is limited in its low-light capabilities. For tens of thousands of years, our ancestors were restricted in their ability to function between evening and morning twilight. The light from the flames of burning materials -- from sticks, to animal and vegetable fats, to natural fossil fuels -- extended their functionality into the night, especially in enclosed areas. Outdoors, another light source was commonly made use of to conduct activity outdoors at night: moonlight. We find references to the use of moonlight for nocturnal activity in many places in both the historic record and in folk wisdom. The moon provides its most substantial illumination of the landscape at the time of full moon (see below); full moons are particularly associated with nocturnal activity. The name "Harvest Moon", for the full moon occurring nearest to the autumnal equinox, refers to the fact that the moonlight at that time is bright enough (and moonrise occurs in conjunction with sunset) to allow harvesters in the northern hemisphere to continue their work in the fields into the night. The same effect gives us the name of the following full moon, the Hunter's Moon. Moonlight gardens, designed to be enjoyed during the night, were enjoyed in the orient for centuries; the 17th Century Taj Mahal in India featured a large garden meant to be visited during the cool of night.
    [Show full text]
  • The Moon Illusion and Size–Distance Scaling—Evidence for Shared Neural Patterns
    The Moon Illusion and Size–Distance Scaling—Evidence for Shared Neural Patterns Ralph Weidner1*, Thorsten Plewan1,2*, Qi Chen1, Axel Buchner3, Peter H. Weiss1,4, and Gereon R. Fink1,4 Abstract ■ A moon near to the horizon is perceived larger than a moon pathway areas including the lingual and fusiform gyri. The func- at the zenith, although—obviously—the moon does not change tional role of these areas was further explored in a second ex- its size. In this study, the neural mechanisms underlying the periment. Left V3v was found to be involved in integrating “moon illusion” were investigated using a virtual 3-D environ- retinal size and distance information, thus indicating that the ment and fMRI. Illusory perception of an increased moon size brain regions that dynamically integrate retinal size and distance was associated with increased neural activity in ventral visual play a key role in generating the moon illusion. ■ INTRODUCTION psia; Sperandio, Kaderali, Chouinard, Frey, & Goodale, Although the moon does not change its size, the moon 2013; Enright, 1989; Roscoe, 1989). near to the horizon is perceived as relatively larger com- One concept of size constancy scaling implies that the pared with when it is located at the zenith. This phenome- retinal image size and the estimated distance of an object non is called the “moon illusion” and is one of the oldest are conjointly considered, thereby enabling constant size visual illusions known (Ross & Plug, 2002). Despite exten- perception of objects at different distances (Kaufman & sive research, no consensus has been reached regarding Kaufman, 2000). With respect to the moon illusion, appar- the underlying perceptual and neural correlates (Ross & ent distance theories, for example, propose that “the per- Plug, 2002; Hershenson, 1989).
    [Show full text]
  • THIRTEEN MOONS Curriculum
    THIRTEEN MOONS Curriculum OJIBWAY CREE MOHAWK PRACTITIONER GUIDE LBS LEVELS 2 AND 3 13 MOONS – Teacher’s Guide 0 13 MOONS – Teacher’s Guide 1 © Ontario Native Literacy Coalition [2010] Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………..4 Aboriginal Calendars………………………………………………………………………………..…5 OJIBWE Unit………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Introduction & Pronunciation Guide…………………………………………………….8 Moons …………………………………………………………………………………………………..9 Numbers …………………………………………………………………………………………….12 Days of the Week …………………………………………………………………………….….14 Seasons ……………………………………………………………………………………………...15 CREE Unit…………………………………………………………………………………………………..16 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….18 Moons ………………………………………………………………………………………………...19 Numbers ………………………………………………………………………………………….…20 Seasons and Days of the Week ………………………………………………………..…..22 MOHAWK Unit…………………………………………………………………………………………..24 Vowels………………………………………….………………………………………………..……26 Consonants……………………………………………………………………………………..…..27 Months…………………………………………………………………………………………..……29 Numbers………………………………………………………………………………………..……30 Days………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..32 Seasons…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..33 Cycle of Ceremonies……………………………………………………………………………34 Resources……………………………………………………………………………………………….…36 2011-2012 Calendars ……………………………………………………………………..…37 2011 Moon Phases ………………………………………………………………………..…..38 Sample Calendar Page …………………………………………………………………...….40 Task-Based Activities……………………………………………………………………………………44 Writing Activity
    [Show full text]
  • Phases of the Moon
    TA Guide for Notes Phases of the Moon Description In this activity, students stand around a bright light bulb in an otherwise dark room, holding a styrofoam ball at arm’s length. As they turn around, they watch the changing pattern of light and dark on the styrofoam ball which reproduces the phases of the Moon. Then, using a second ball as the Earth, students explore the geometry of the Sun-Earth-Moon system to predict the rise and set times of different phases of the Moon. The students “accidentally” stumble onto the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon during lunar and solar eclipses. Learning Goals After this tutorial, together with lecture materials, students should be able to • use the geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon to illustrate the phases of the Moon and to predict the Moon’s rise and set times • illustrate the geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon during lunar and solar eclipses, and explain why there are not eclipses every month Set-up 20 minutes The students will work together in groups of 3. In order to fit enough groups of students, you may need to use 2 light sources (shown at right). Set up one in the center of the lab and, if necessary, one in the center of the reading room (push the tables to the inside around the light. This will stop the students from getting too close to the light and messing up the geometry.) When both lights are needed, both TAs will be “A” TAs that lead the activity to their own groups of students.
    [Show full text]
  • Moon Phases Calendar 2021
    jpl.nasa.gov/edu F F F F F M F E E M E E F E E M A B B B F B A E B M B A J R E M 2 B R 2 A A 2 1 R J B 1 8 M 0 1 7 9 A 5 N R A 2 5 6 - J 1 - M R A - 1 4 2 N - - A M 2 1 1 1 1 6 3 R J 9 8 A M 2 N 0 4 2 A A 2 R - - 1 J A 2 2 N 8 R F A 2 R A 2 0 2 1 E P - J N 4 2 8 2 2 - A A 2 B R 0 9 7 P J N 1 7 4 - 3 R A 3 A A - N 1 1 P 5 J P 2 R 9 - A A R 1 7 P 0 N 1 - 3 R J 1 1 A 1 A 6 1 N P 2 Education R - 1 1 A 1 - 8 2 P 2021 5 9 02 R A 1 2 0 P - R 2 5 D 2 E A 6 C P R D 2 2 7- 7 E M 3 - C M 1 A Y 2 A 6 Y 3 D E 2 C M A 1 Y 9 - 4 - D 2 1 E 5 0 C M A 18 Y 1 D E 1 C M A 11 Y MOON PHASES- 1 1 2 7 - 1 D E C 8 M 1 A 0 Y 1 D E C 9 4 M -9 A Y 2 0 - 2 D E C 3 5 M A Y 2 6 N O V 28 - DEC 2 1 N U J - 7 2 Y A M N O V 27 2 N U 20-26 J V 9 - O 3 N N U 19 J V 0 1 N O N U 18 J - 6 2 1 1 - 1 V 1 O N N U 11 J 7 V 1 O N N 0 3 1 U 2 - J 5 - 8 V 1 O N 3 N U 4 V J 4 O 2 V N O 0 - N 3 N - 9 U 5 2 J 2 T C 8 N O 2 7 U J 2 1 T - C 1 L 8 2 - O U 2 J T 0 C 2 9 L 1 6 U O - 9 1 T J 3 - L C 1 0 1 O U T 2 5 J 2 1 1 7 C L T 2 1 1 - - U O T C 8 7 J L C 1 O 0 T U O 6 3 - 3 J L - C 2 9 T 7 4 O 2 5 U 2 8 2 L J C 1 - 2 7 9 P - U P 1 3 L O 4 1 1 1 E 2 0 E J - 1 9 P U 2 L 8 2 - S 2 4 S - 2 J E 5 9 - P 3 1 G 1 - U 6 - 1 S 2 1 3 0 E G P J 1 U 7 1 2 2 3 6 P G S E U 3 A P G E U S P G A P G E G G S G U A E U S E U U A U U S A S A A A A Education jpl.nasa.gov/edu Education jpl.nasa.gov/edu MOON PHASES MOON PHASES O V E R H E A D J J J J D J J F D J I N S P A J W F A C E A J A A D I E A J A V F E E A A J D E E A N J N F N A N N E O N E E A N C W R B N J T A I E H D J N V B C A F E E N N C B A J D
    [Show full text]
  • Solar and Lunar Eclipses Reading
    Eclipses What would you think if you were walking home from school on a sunny afternoon and the sun began to disappear? Would you be frightened? On rare occasions, the moon completely blocks the sun. The sky grows as dark as night even in the middle of a clear day. The air gets cool and the sky becomes an eerie color. If you don’t know what is happening, you can become very frightened. The moon doesn’t usually go directly between Earth and the sun or directly behind Earth. As the diagram below shows, the moon’s orbit around Earth is slightly tilted with respect to Earth’s orbit around the sun. As a result, in most months the moon revolves completely around Earth without the moon moving into Earth’s shadow or the moon’s shadow hitting Earth. When the moon’s shadow hits Earth or Earth’s shadow hits the moon, an eclipse occurs. An eclipse (ih klips) occurs when an object in space comes between the sun and a third object, and casts a shadow on that object. There are two types of eclipses: solar eclipses and lunar eclipses. (The words solar and lunar come from the Latin words for “sun” and “moon.”) The Tilt of the Moon’s Orbit The moon’s orbit is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbit. So the moon rarely goes directly between Earth and the sun. Solar Eclipses During a new moon, the moon is almost exactly between Earth and the sun. But most months, as you have seen, the moon travels a little above or below the sun in the sky.
    [Show full text]
  • The Indian Luni-Solar Calendar and the Concept of Adhik-Maas
    Volume -3, Issue-3, July 2013 The Indian Luni-Solar Calendar and the giving rise to alternative periods of light and darkness. All human and animal life has evolved accordingly, Concept of Adhik-Maas (Extra-Month) keeping awake during the day-light but sleeping through the dark nights. Even plants follow a daily rhythm. Of Introduction: course some crafty beings have turned nocturnal to take The Hindu calendar is basically a lunar calendar and is advantage of the darkness, e.g., the beasts of prey, blood– based on the cycles of the Moon. In a purely lunar sucker mosquitoes, thieves and burglars, and of course calendar - like the Islamic calendar - months move astronomers. forward by about 11 days every solar year. But the Hindu calendar, which is actually luni-solar, tries to fit together The next natural clock in terms of importance is the the cycle of lunar months and the solar year in a single revolution of the Earth around the Sun. Early humans framework, by adding adhik-maas every 2-3 years. The noticed that over a certain period of time, the seasons concept of Adhik-Maas is unique to the traditional Hindu changed, following a fixed pattern. Near the tropics - for lunar calendars. For example, in 2012 calendar, there instance, over most of India - the hot summer gives way were 13 months with an Adhik-Maas falling between to rain, which in turn is followed by a cool winter. th th August 18 and September 16 . Further away from the equator, there were four distinct seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aristarchus Campaigns: Collaboratively Measuring the Solar System Best Practices Best
    The Aristarchus Campaigns: Collaboratively measuring the Solar System Best Practices Best Jorge I. Zuluaga Juan C. Figueroa Keywords FACom-Instituto de Física-FCEN, Universidad de FACom-Instituto de Física-FCEN, Universidad de Citizen astronomy, lunar orbit, lunar distance, Antioquia & Sociedad Antioqueña de Astronomía Antioquia & Sociedad Antioqueña de Astronomía Moon calculations, speed of light, astronomical Colombia Colombia methods, astrometry, citizen science [email protected] Summary Citizen astronomy has proven to be one of the most effective ways to actively involve amateur astronomers in real scientific endeavours. We present here the Aristarchus Campaigns, a citizen astronomy project intended to collaboratively reproduce historical astronomical observations. During the campaign amateur astronomers were invited to use simple optical instruments to gather data about some common astronomical phenomena. This data was used to calculate the value of well-known physical and astronomical quantities such as the speed of light and the distance to, and size of the Moon. We describe the project and the results of the first two Aristarchus Campaigns. We argue that this type of simple campaign may help to engage the public with astronomy in developing counties and prepare their astronomical communities to par- ticipate in high-impact observational campaigns. Introduction using powerful lasers and retro-reflecting Today, the advent of advanced and arrays of mirrors placed on the lunar sur- accessible technological devices such Ancient astronomers devised inventive face by the Apollo astronauts, so that the as smartphones is opening new doors methods to measure the Solar System. distance is now known to within just a few for do-it-yourself astronomy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Simplest Method to Measure the Geocentric Lunar Distance: a Case of Citizen Science
    The simplest method to measure the geocentric lunar distance: a case of citizen science Jorge I. Zuluaga1,a, Juan C. Figueroa2,b and Ignacio Ferrin1,c 1 FACom - Instituto de Física - FCEN, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia 2 Independent Software Developer ABSTRACT We present the results of measuring the geocentric lunar distance using what we propose is the simplest method to achieve a precise result. Although lunar distance has been systematically measured to a precision of few millimeters using powerful lasers and retroreflectors installed on the moon by the Apollo missions, the method devised and applied here can be readily used by nonscientist citizens (e.g. amateur astronomers or students) and it requires only a good digital camera. After launching a citizen science project called the “Aristarchus Campaign”, intended to involve astronomy enthusiasts in scientific measurement of the Lunar Eclipse of 15 April 2014, we compiled and measured a series of pictures obtained by one of us (J.C. Figueroa). These measurements allowed us to estimate the lunar distance to a precision of ~3%. We describe here how to perform the measurements and the method to calculate from them the geocentric lunar distance using only the pictures time stamps and a precise measurement of the instantaneous lunar apparent diameter. Our aim here is not to provide any improved measurement of a well- known astronomical quantity, but rather to demonstrate how the public could be engaged in scientific endeavors and how using simple instrumentation and readily available technological devices such as smartphones and digital cameras, any person can measure the local Universe as ancient astronomers did.
    [Show full text]