Starry Night Backyard Instructions Page 1
Getting started:
· Launch Starry Night Backyard.
· Click on the red stop button (red arrow).
· Click on the hours in the time area (blue arrow) and type in 6.
· Click on the minutes in the time area (green arrow) and type in zeros (00).
· Click on the seconds (orange area) and type in zeros.
· Make sure the time is marked as PM. Click on it, and press the up arrow on the keyboard to change it to PM.
· Change the date to Nov. 8, 2003. (see purple arrow).
The scene showing for this date and time should be the view you would have of the night sky in Halifax for 6:00 PM on November 8th. You will be viewing the sky, looking South when you first start the program. Use the “hand” to click and hold down while sliding the mouse sideways. This should move you around to see the stars from the other directions. The moon should be just about full, and low in the sky to the ENE. To the left of the moon and slightly lower should be a cluster of bright dots. These are the Pleiades.
Find the button to move time forward a single step (see black arrow), and keep clicking this button. You should be able to watch the total eclipse of the moon, which occurred that night.
Starry Night Challenge:
Now that you have viewed a lunar eclipse from the past, take a look at the total lunar eclipse due to occur next week!
Here is the information you will need:
Location: Halifax
Date: October 27, 2004
Time: 8:30:00 pm ADT
Viewing direction: East
Follow the Moon through single steps (advancing 3 minutes per step) as it passes across the sky. At what time (to the nearest three minutes) do you think the eclipse will reach totality? When will totality end? When will the last visible shadow leave the Moon?
Starry Night Backyard Instructions Page 2
Choose today’s date and pick any time after 8:00:00 pm. Look at the visible constellations, using these instructions:
Go to the Constellations menu, and choose Labels. Then go back to the Constellations menu and choose Astronomical.
This will mark and name the various constellations visible in the night sky on this date at this time, for Halifax. You can observe these constellations, and compare them to the constellation arrangements on your planisphere, to see how the two devices could be used together.
You can explore other aspects of the software at your leisure.
Activity guides, with special files, can be found at:
http://www.starrynight.com/education.html
Scroll to the bottom of the page to select the grade level and platform required.