Name________________________________________ Date_______________ Period_____

The Unofficial Student Activity for
Bob Ryan's 1997 Almanac & Guide for the Weatherwise

by Walter Sanford
Earth Science Teacher, Fairfax County Public Schools

Increase your sky awareness by answering the following activity questions.

Sky Awareness (including Astronomy)

  1. For the DAY THAT YOU WERE BORN (e.g., August 14th), record the following:

  2. In the following data table, record the duration of insolation (number of hours of daylight) in Washington, D.C. for the 21st of each month. To calculate the number of hours of daylight, subtract the time of sunrise from the time of sunset (times should be expressed in 24-hour format). Construct a line graph.

    Data Table - Duration of Insolation

    Month | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC 
------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
# Hrs |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |

    Line Graph: Duration of Insolation & Average High Temperature
    Washington, D.C.

    H  16 --|
O      -|
U  15 --|
R      -|
S  14 --|                                               |-- 90  T
       -|                                               |-      E
D  13 --|                                               |-- 80  M
A      -|                                               |-      P
Y  12 --|                                               |-- 70  E
L      -|                                               |-      R
I  11 --|                                               |-- 60  A
G      -|                                               |-      T
H  10 --|                                               |-- 50  U
T      -|                                               |-      R
   09 --|-----------------------------------------------|-- 40  E
        | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
                          MONTHS OF YEAR

  3. In the data table below, record the average high temperature in Washington, D.C. for the 21st of each month. Construct a line graph (using the graph in Question #2).

    Data Table - Average High Temperature

    Month | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC
------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
Temp. |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |

  4. When is "Sky Awareness Week?" (Don't forget to mark your calendar!)

  5. The Sky is Falling!
    1. What is a meteor?

    2. What is the most famous of annual meteor showers? On which date does this shower peak?

    3. Why are you likely to see more meteors after midnight?

  6. For the MONTH IN WHICH YOU WERE BORN (e.g., August), list THREE astronomical phenomena that you may observe in the night sky in 1997.
    1. MONTH ____________________


  7. What is astronomically significant about June 21st, 1997 at 4:20 a.m.?

  8. What is "The Harvest Moon?" (You know, "Shine on, shine on Harvest Moon, up in the sky.")

  9. For the month of JUNE, record the dates of the phases of the moon.

  10. Every year, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox.
    1. What date is the Spring Equinox?

    2. On what date is the NEXT Full Moon AFTER the Spring Equinox?

    3. What date is Easter Sunday? (If necessary, refer to a calendar.)

  11. If the distance around the Capital Beltway (I-495/95) is 66 miles, and the distance to the moon is approximately 240,000 miles, then how many times would you have to go around the beltway to "travel to" the moon?

  12. Most days, how many high tides occur? Approximately how many hours apart?

  13. Most days, how many low tides occur? Approximately how many hours apart?

  14. Approximately how many hours pass between one high tide and the next low tide?

  15. The greatest tidal range (difference between high and low tide) occurs during the New and Full Moon phases. For the month of May, on which dates will the tidal range be greatest?

  16. Assume that you would like to go fossil shark tooth collecting along the Potomac River near Colonial Beach, VA, and you know that the best time to go collecting is during low tide. Use the "Tide Correction Table" on page 2 of the almanac to find the best time to go collecting on 4 July 1997.

Copyright (c) 1996 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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