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Week 6 - History of the Earth

Lab:

    This week in lab we discussed the basics of astrology seeing what we all remembered about the Earth's orbit as well as how the seasons change and explaining the moons phases. It was interesting to see how little I remembered about these concepts as I feel like we talked about them so much from kindergarten to ninth grade, but after that point the learning switched to biology, chemistry, and physics ultimately affecting the retention of this knowledge. 

Lecture:

In lecture, we went over the phases of the moon as well as how the seasons change making sure that we can lock the concept in before we move on. I really liked the models that were used in lecture when explaining the Earth's tilt as well as how the tilt affects where the tropic lines are at. We also talked about how the North Pole is always pointing to the North star, which is again something I didn't know. I also learned that it's possible to have 2 full moons in one month. I didn't know that was possible, but with the lunar cycle only being 28 days and months ranging from 28-31 days it makes sense how another cycle could get squeezed in. 

Textbook: Sun, Earth, and the Moon

What I learned: In the reading I learned more about why the season's change and the science behind this. The Earth is always tilted on the same axis, but due to the tilt, different area's of Earth are tilted toward the sun at different times during the year. When a hemisphere is tilted toward the sun they are experiencing summer, and when they are tilted away from the sun, they are experiencing winter. 

What was most helpful: The pictures after the explanations were very helpful for me as I'm more of a visual learner. 


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