Using a "Dipper Finder"
OBJECTIVES & UNDERSTANDINGS
After completing this activity, you should be able to:
- Locate the horizon, zenith, and meridian on the Dipper Finder.
- Use the Dipper Finder to locate the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), perhaps
the most recognizable constellation in the night sky.
- Use the "pointer stars" in the cup section of the Big Dipper to locate
Polaris, the North Star.
- Use the Dipper Finder to infer the direction of the Earth's rotation.
MATERIALS (supplied by classroom teacher)
- Scissors
- Transparent tape and tape dispenser
- Single-hole and three-hole punches (optional)
PROCEDURE
- Using the materials provided by the planetarium teacher, construct a
Dipper Finder.
- Answer the following activity questions.
USING THE DIPPER FINDER
Align the date (e.g., JAN 15, etc.) with the time. To find the Big Dipper,
face north and look up at the night sky.
ACTIVITY QUESTIONS
- The zenith is the imaginary point directly overhead. On the Dipper
Finder, where is the zenith?
- At 9 p.m., during which SEASON (winter, spring, summer, or
fall) would the Big Dipper (Ursa Major)...
- ...appear closest to the horizon?
- ...appear highest above the horizon (closest to the zenith)?
- Set the Dipper Finder for 9 p.m. on January 15. Next, turn the Dipper
disk to 12 Midnight (later the same night). Observe that the Big Dipper
appears to spin around Polaris (the Pole Star) in the
same direction in which the Earth rotates. Which direction does the Earth
rotate, clockwise or counterclockwise?