The Unofficial Student Activity for
Bob Ryan's 1998 Almanac & Guide for the Weatherwise

by Walter Sanford
Planetarium Teacher, Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness
Fairfax County Public Schools

Increase your sky awareness by answering the following activity questions.

Sky Awareness (including Astronomy)

  1. When is "Sky Awareness Week?" Don't forget to mark your calendar! (Hint: To find the answer to this question you will have to be very Resourceful!)

  2. For the MONTH IN WHICH YOU WERE BORN (e.g., August), list THREE astronomical phenomena that you may observe in the night sky in 1998.
    1. MONTH ____________________


  3. What is astronomically significant about June 21st, 1998 at 10:03 p.m.?

  4. For the month of FEBRUARY, record the dates of the phases of the moon.

  5. 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.)

  6. 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?

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

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

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

  10. 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?

  11. 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 1998.

Storms in Space
by Ramon E. Lopez

  1. What is the solar wind?

  2. What is the aurora?

  3. List two ways in which "magnetic storms" in space impact us on Earth.

From Mars to You...How Did They Do That?
by Dave Jones

  1. At the WeatherNet4 Web site, where should you look to find real-time space weather?

  2. What is the name of the unmanned mission to Mars which landed on 4 July 1997?

  3. What is the temperature range (lowest to highest temperature) recorded at the landing site on Mars by the Carl Sagan Memorial Station?

  4. The speed of light is 187,500 miles per second. If it takes approximately 11 minutes for electronic transmissions (travelling at the speed of light) to reach the Earth from Mars, then what was the Earth-Mars distance during the Summer of '97? Give your answer in miles. Ask yourself if your answer is reasonable by checking to see if it falls within the range of possible Earth-Mars distances (49 million to 236 million miles). (Hint: First, you must calculate the number of seconds in 11 minutes.)

Comets Unlock Secrets of the Solar System
by Fred Espenak

  1. List the names of the two very bright naked-eye comets visible during the past two years.

  2. Comet facts:
    1. What are comets made of?

    2. How wide are comets?

    3. Why do comets have tails?

    4. How much of a comet is vaporized as it passes near the Sun?

    5. What is the name of the scientific instrument used by astronomers to identify, analyze, and measure the gasses and material which make up comets?

Is the Sky Falling? A Guide to Annual Meteor Showers
by Geoff Chester

  1. What is a "shooting star?"

  2. Typically, how big are meteoroids?

  3. What causes annual "meteor showers?"

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

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

Copyright (c) 1998 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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