Lyceum B - Astronomy - Week 31 - Uranus
- Jun 10, 2022
- 2 min read
Project - making a model of Uranus revolving around the Sun
Need foam core, a protractor, an orange, a small lightbulb and electrical wires/clips & battery and a drawing compass
Using a drawing compass, draw a circle on black foam core and cut out.
To prepare the wire to hold our planet "Uranus" (the orange) - we will bend an 8 inch piece of wire at a 98°. Check the accuracy of this angle with a protractor.
Stick a hole in the center of the black foam board into which you will insert the lightbulb (this will be our "Sun")
Attach one end of the electrical wire to the lightbulb and the other end to the battery so the "Sun" will light up.
Attach one end of our bent wire to the orange ("Uranus") and the other end into the edge of the foam board so the orange ("Uranus") is suspended above the black foam board.
Turn off the lights in the room and turn on the "sun".
Rotate the foam board so that "Uranus" moves on its orbit around the "sun", while keeping its axis pointing in the same direction the whole time.
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Experiment - Observing the effect of the rings of Uranus passing in front of the light from distant stars causing a twinkling effect.
Need foam board, flashlight, 13 pencils, black paint
Paint the foam board and 13 pencils black
Stick the pencils upright into the foam board to represent the rings of Uranus.
Place a flashlight, which will be the "star in the distance" about 1 yard in front of the "rings". In between you and the flashlight ("star") will be the pencils ("rings of Uranus").
Darken the room, turn on the flashlight and move the "rings" from side to side.
Observe how they block out the "starlight" shining from behind them. When one astronomical object blocks our view of another astronomical object, it is called an occultation.
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From How the Universe Works:
Because the tiny dust particles in Uranus' rings scatter light away from the Sun, instead of reflecting it back to Earth, the rings are most easily seen when they are lit from behind.
Experiment - How We Best See the Rings of Uranus When They Are Lit From Behind (Backlit) Need a clear soda bottle with a cap, matches and a candle and a flashlight
Light a candle and then blow it out and capture the resulting smoke in the empty soda bottle and quickly put the cap on the bottle to seal in the smoke.
Now turn out the lights and shine a flashlight on the bottle of smoke. Can you see smoke particles?
Now have someone shine the flashlight at the bottle from behind it.
Can you see smoke particles now?
It is the same way with the tiny dust particles contained in Uranus' rings. We can see them more clearly when the source of light comes from behind them.
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Videos:
Professor Dave Explains
Neptune: The Outer Planet - 4:20 min
Introduction to Astronomy:Crash Course #21
Comets - 11:54 min
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