It's educational. Moon and Mars

[Pixies]

My 13 yo daughter announced this evening that they were covering the Moon in her science lessons. So around 9:30 I set up the little ST80 and let her observe it.

I explained how the waxing crescent was in the evening and the waning crescent in the morning. Then I went a bit "Magnus Pike" and started explaining the ecliptic (waving my arms around) and the plane of the solar system and how all the bodies roughly follow the same arc across the sky. Then when she looked back into the eyepiece, the moon had obviously moved on, but it had been replaced by Mars, sitting centrally in the view.

Now that's a demonstration (albeit accidental)!

 

 

[Astro Noodles]

1 minute ago, Pixies said:

My 13 yo daughter announced this evening that they were covering the Moon in her science lessons. So around 9:30 I set up the little ST80 and let her observe it.

I explained how the waxing crescent was in the evening and the waning crescent in the morning. Then I went a bit "Magnus Pike" and started explaining the ecliptic (waving my arms around) and the plane of the solar system and how all the bodies roughly follow the same arc across the sky. Then when she looked back into the eyepiece, the moon had obviously moved on, but it had been replaced by Mars, sitting centrally in the view.

Now that's a demonstration (albeit accidental)!

 

 

And then she went back to texting her friends on the i-phone, right? 😄

[Pixies]

Just now, Astro Noodles said:

And then she went back to texting her friends on the i-phone, right? 😄

yeah, dad!

[Astro Noodles]

3 minutes ago, Pixies said:

yeah, dad!

Sorry, I should have asked - 'What was her reaction? Was she impressed by your knowledge of the moon and the wider cosmos, do you think she learned anything?' 😄

[Pixies]

She seemed pretty impressed. We've just ben looking at it again - using binos through an upstairs window. In about 30 minutes, the moon will occult the bright star Mebsuta in Gemini.

[Kon]

It sounds a great night with your daughter. She probably felt very lucky to be able to see things through the telescope rather than just on a piece of paper. I love when my 6 year old joins me to see things and asks all sort of questions.

[mikeDnight]

The experience will doubtless leave your daughter with some very happy memories, but your enthusiasm could have ignited a flame that might cost you dearly in years to come.

[Stardaze]

I probably ruined my 5 year olds interest last year having shown her Jupiter and Saturn, I should have started with the moon and worked to that. She does seem to have a little fascination with the moon, which we have done more of with the binoculars.

Our eldest (17) did spare me an hour last December whilst I waxed lyrical about Orion whilst she viewed the trapezium. However, their mother has absolutely zero interest in any of it and won’t indulge me, never mind. I may have mentioned that it’s my escapism from her some of the time. 😆

[Paz]

Well done getting your daughter to have a look, I think that's a big achievement when you are competing with social media time!

It's very rare that I get anyone in my house to have a look at anything, the last time was a shadow transit of Jupiter, I made that sounded interesting enough to get my boys out but only briefly!