The Moon

Various names and descriptions have been given to the Moon from culture to culture and from civilization to civilization. These names and descriptions came about mainly out of religious beliefs and from various interpretations of those who were fascinated by it, feared it or simply worshipped it. The goddess of Moon in Roman has been given the name "Luna", while the Greek named it Selene, one of the many Greek deities. By studying and analyzing Moon rocks, scientists believe that the moon was created as a result of a collision of an ancient planet with the planet earth, approximately four billions years ago. The Moon has two faces (sides), the side which we see all the time, and the side which we can not see, sometimes referred to as the dark side of the Moon. The only way to see the other side is by going to space. The connection between the Moon, the living and the dead has been with us since pre-historic times. Therefore, the Moon was, and still is the focus of many people in various cultures across the globe, but in particular among poets and writers, who looked at it and wrote about what they saw, what they felt and what they imagined.

Sadly, according to scientists, the Moon is moving away from us (from earth) a few centimetres every year!

Looking at the full Moon, the feeling certainly may vary from one person to another. You may feel a little bit "safer" looking at "The Full Moon" at noon, if you can see it, and may be with a different feeling when you see "The Full Moon" at midnight - clearly that depends on who you are, where you are, your gender and whether you are alone or with someone close to you!

Historically speaking, romance and the Moon have always been part of each other and part of the inspirations for love and lovers, as well as part of the emotions and minds of those who simply dedicated their time to write about it.

In addition to the above, some believe that even mental illness can be exacerbated when there is a full Moon! Not to mention the use of the Moon by horror writers and filmmakers who, by scaring their audience, made their own fame and fortune.

The various love stories associated with the Moon, whether real, exaggerated or simply made up, still form a big part of the human psyche and human culture; therefore, it is an important part of the human insight, with or without the emotional or spiritual connection.

The Moon can also be associated with various witchcrafts, sorceries, spells, as well as with the dead.

Witchcrafts or witches use the cycles of the Moon as part of their ceremonies, initiations and festivals.

When it comes to those who left this world, then the Moon plays another important part. Many spiritualists and some Far Eastern religions believe that some departed souls are associated with the Moon, during various stages; it could be related to a recent or none-recent death. According to some of these religions/spiritualists, the Moon work as a temporary (or "sometime" even permanent) station for the departed souls before moving on to the next world.

The Moon is a natural satellite of the earth and, therefore it has an important part to play in relation to life on earth and the earth's general environment. That means, without the Moon, the world will be a different place and life as we know it today will be very difficult to continue, if not impossible.

Observing the Moon

Our moon is a good astronomical target for stargazers for many good reasons. First of all it is very straightforward to identify. If you can't find it in the sky, it probably simply means it is not currently there in the sky, whether because it's a new moon or because it's already set behind the horizion. Secondly it is the nearest thing for us to view here on Earth, and is the only object other than the Sun that may be observed as something besides a dot of light using the human eye alone. This permits us all to examine its surface area with good detail with optical aids that are offered to everyone. The very best telescopes are typically not even a necessity to watch the Moon, merely a pair of binoculars or even just just the naked eye.

The initial thing you ought to know about viewing our Moon is its cycle of phases. The moon moves around our planet nearly every 4 weeks. During this period the Moon's position in regards to the Earth and Sun changes, and consequently the way in which it looks illuminated from our perspective fluctuates as well. While the Moon is in back of the planet Earth, we perceive the total lit up portion of the Moon; this is called a full moon. Since it circles around the our planet, over time less of the Moon's illuminated exterior will become visible to us on Earth. During this time period the Moon is regarded to be waning. As it is waning it's going to pass through the stages referred to as Gibbous, Quarter, and Crescent, each exhibiting less and less of its lit up area, until finally it gets to the New Moon phase. During this time period the Moon is positioned in between our planet and the Sun and therefore is not visible in the evening sky. After that, it starts the waxing phase and goes through the above mentioned phases, this time in the opposite direction, until finally it's full again.

Many people would certainly believe that the best stage to head out stargazing for the Moon would certainly be the Full Moon phase, this is really incorrect. Watching throughout the Full Moon is actually considerably stressful on the eyes, because at this time it can be seven percent as luminous the Sun. Observing throughout the Full Moon is additionally not optimal since hardly any dark areas tend to be present on the surface of the Moon and as a result its physical appearance is likely to appear washed over.

Viewing through the intermediate Moon phases is undoubtedly optimal, given that the shadows developed by the perspective of the Sun makes all the features stand out at the observer and creates excellent contrasts on the Moon's exterior. The best quality contrasts can be seen along side the terminator, or the term for the separating line between the dark and illuminated parts of the Moon.

The Moon's surface is full of numerous interesting features which are superb to observe. The most widely known elements may just be the many craters which are found on the Moon. These craters were created by asteroids many years ago from the creation years of the Moon and our planet. Additionally, you will notice massive darker sectors upon the Moon, called Mare, which is latin for "seas". These are not really waters but instead great areas of rock made from volcanoes. In addition, the same as the Earth, the Moon has a variety of various mountains and valleys which can be seen too. It is best that you find a map of the moon, in order to identify and read about the individual topographical features found on the Moon.

How To Create A Solar System Science Fair Project

Science fair projects are very helpful to motivate the students towards scientific study. It also provides the possibility of observing the real world and related problems in a closer way. It aims to develop curiosity about science and technology. It brings about improvement in the manipulative skills, knowledge, and self-confidence.

Solar system began forming 10 to 12 billion years ago as a swirling gas and dust formed a dense core. To visualize the Solar system, understand the orbital motion of the planets and to locate the actual position of the planets the solar system science fair projects are helpful.

Some simple solar system science fair projects ideas include answering questions such as:

- Can we collect micrometeorites from the outdoor sources?

- Could the other planets support any life?

- What causes the phases of moon and what affects the phases of moon?

- How terrestrial planets are formed?

- Are there many other solar systems in the universe? Do they support life?

To study about the other galaxies and solar system present in this universe this project will be useful. A comparative study of why life is possible on earth and why not life is possible on other planets can be done in detail. Younger children can also build a model of the solar system and show the relationships between the planets.

Also consider looking at natural forces which occur in the solar system, such as exploring a question like, how are the magnetic fields affected by solar storms? Can we build a homemade magnetometer to measure that? The magnetic fields are affected by solar storms and cause small changes in its direction at the surface, which are called "magnetic storms." A magnetometer operates like a sensitive compass and senses these slight changes in the magnetic field. A homemade magnetometer can be constructed.

Can we identify black holes? If the answer is yes, how can it be done? By this project, the mysteries and curiosity about the black holes will take a shape and a clear knowledge about black holes can be gained. A thorough understanding of the nature of black holes is neceessary, and a lot of background information will be necessary for such a project.

You can make your own comet to know the details about the comets. A large comet is a spectacular sight and is a star like celestial body, which has a tail and still people have lots of doubts about it. To know better, this project will help out.

How to locate the position of a celestial body by a sidereal pointer? A sidereal pointer is an instrument that helps you to locate each celestial body in the night sky. How to construct a sidereal pointer easily can be discussed in this project in detail.

Solar system science projects are fairly demanding projects that represent a challenge. Each of the projects related with solar system science projects develops cognitive skills and help the students to leap forward.