Starship Asterisk*

Jennifer Burgin wrote:Also very good ... but I still want a photo every 10 days, so that we can see the fast movement around the equinox and the very slow movement (and turn around) at the solstice.

This isn't what you are looking for, but it's cool, and some of the linkies
are interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset

As it's Wikipedia, there is an added opportunity for checking its facts
against other sources. Wikipedia isn't usually considered a valid primary
source, so it leads to a lesson on comparing other sources, which is also
cool.

I tried entering "sunrise sunset same location photo image" and a few
other search keys in Google. I got *lots* of hits. Some lead to actual
books. This, too, might be a place to start.
http://WWW.dogpile.com , http://www.ask.com and http://www.altavista.com also do fine
search engines. And clicking on "images" on Google and Altavista gives photos. Lot of photos. Searching these should keep a class occupied for
at least an entire term.
I hope this has helped.

Also very good ... but I still want a photo every 10 days, so that we can see the fast movement around the equinox and the very slow movement (and turn around) at the solstice.

How about this one?
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051221.html

Jennifer Burgin wrote:Did you just put that together for me? Any real photo-series out there like that?

I have never seen such a photo series. That's why I turned to a simulator to check if it could be done in a way that wasn't a big project in itself. I'm glad I got your aim correct.
Nice to see an alternative approach to the standard drawings.

Yes, Case, that is what I meant. Did you just put that together for me? Any real photo-series out there like that?

Were you looking for something like this?


12 images, for the 1st of each month, facing east at sunrise.
Downsampled from screenshots in Stellarium sky simulator.

They might respond better to trying the digital work themselves. If you have a couple of computers either in your classroom or available elsewhere, you could get a copy of photoshop and perhaps a digital stacking program and buy those disposable digital cameras at the drug store. You could then have your students capture sunrise at certain key dates, download the images into photoshop, crop as needed and digitally stack them creating the image or image sequence (animated gif) you want. Using Cameras and computers might hold the attention of most 6th graders. Though it would be a school year long project. You wold also need the budget to be able to purchace (X#) disposable digital cameras, Photoshop, and a Stacker pgm.

You might even try this (to gain interest) Meet at school at sunrise on the equinox and solstices. Pick a location on the playground as a central marker and paint a small circle. Note, about 10 feet away, the location of sunriseon these days and draw a line from the sunrise point west thru your center point to an equal distance away on the west side. This point should represent sunset location at equinox and sunset at opposing solstice. The Equinox line should be due east/west on a compas. You cold also layout a mock StoneHenge on these marks.

Thanks for your suggestions, Dr. Skeptic and RJN. The format of the movie analemma RJN noted is what I have in mind -- I do want the real photos, not the schematic diagrams of the site Dr. Skeptic mentioned. But I want the photographer to have taken the photographs not at the same clock-time each time, but right after sunrise or before sunset each time.

My students are 6th graders, and I find the analemma is over the top in terms of what they can comprehend. I do my darndest to make sure they understand why the sun appears higher and lower in the sky at different times of year, but the width of the analemma is a distraction from the altitude changes. And since -- as I understand it -- what ancient civilizations tuned in to, to keep track of the passage of time, was the location of the sun rise and/or sun set, that's what I want my students to see in photographs. I've tried to get them to make the observations themselves, but the ones who would benefit most are least likely to do homework assignments like this, and the sun doesn't rise or set during school time.

A good movie-analemma appeared on APOD last year:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071204.html
Is this what you were looking for?

- RJN

http://www.analemma.com/Pages/framesPage.html

Try this, the information should be what you're looking (dependent on undisclosed grade level)- I'm not sure about the format

I want my students to understand why solstices are called solstices, which I believe means "sun stands still". So I'm hoping I can find a "movie" constructed of separate photos taken just after sunrise or just before sunset over the course of a few months or preferably a year, much like the wonderful analemma series movie(s?) I've seen on APOD. Does anyone know if this has been done? Thanks! Jennifer