Summer Days; Winter Nights: Script (30-40 minutes)

Set-Up

  1. Latitude: Home
  2. Precession: Current
  3. Set Sun and sky for today's date
  4. Time: Just before sunrise.
  5. Turn on Sun, Moon, NESW lights
  6. Laser pointer
  7. Cards with 'hooks' or tape attached---you can find these in the planetarium box, or print out these postscript files: Sunrise Cards, Sunset Cards.
  8. Lights up

Dialog is in normal type, actions for you to do are in italics, audience parts are in bold italics and indented.

Note: the following script is not meant to be followed word-by-word; rather, use it as a guide. Embellish it, change it, whatever you feel most comfortable with. We do suggest, however, that you involve your audience as much as possible. Have them predict results, explain results, use the laser pointer, make comments, ask questions. A good way to get questions: "Before we conclude this program, I need to hear 5 questions about the night sky." Also, TRY, to always run the planetarium FORWARD in time when you have people in there. Otherwise, they sometimes get confused about which direction things move.

Getting Acquainted

Good morning (or afternoon)!

Introduce yourself. Remind audience that there should be no eating or drinking in the planetarium. Have them put their packs, coats, etc. under their seats.

Pass out the cards. Give to the littlest kids first, then to older children until you are out of them. Depending on how many are in the group, some may not have one. If you know ahead of time that you won't have enough, ask the older kids to 'partner' the younger kids and help them out.

Humorously: How many here (because we live in the Northwest where it seem to rain all the time) have actually seen the Sun?

Let's talk about that for a minute before we get started. How many people think that the Sun rises at the same time every day?

Ask a few people who didn't raise their hands what they think. When does the Sun rise later? When does it rise earlier?

How many people think that the Sun passes directly over your head at noon every day?

Ask a few people who didn't raise their hands what they think. Where is the Sun at noon? Is it always in that spot in the sky at noon?

How many people think that the Sun sets at the same time every day?

Ask a few people who didn't raise their hands what they think. When does the Sun set later? When does it set earlier?

What we are going to find out today is that the Sun actually rises and sets at different times each day depending on the time of year, and is never far enough North (here in Seattle) to be directly over your head!

Let's begin here in Seattle. begin turning down the lights, but not all the way. Turn up the Sun. Here is the sky as it looked just before dawn today. Now I'm going to turn on the daily motion, so that we see what happens over one day. Turn on daily motion until the Sun peeks over the horizon.

Who has the card with 'Today, Sunrise' on it? Place your card right underneath the Sun.

I'm going to speed up the day, so that we don't have to wait all day for the day to go by! Move the Sun to the highest point in the sky.

Look where the Sun is. This is as high as it will get today! Move the Sun to Sunset.

Who has the card with 'Today, Sunset' on it? Place your card right underneath the Sun.

Now, we have marked the Sun where it rises and sets today. Where do you think the Sun will rise and set one month from now? Wait for some predictions. One year from now? Wait for some predictions.

I will move the planetarium forward in time to tomorrow at dawn. Advance the daily motion

The Sun is in the same spot! Now I'm going to do something special, I'm going to advance the time through the year, by one month, but not day after day, since that takes too long. The planetarium machine can move the Sun through the sky without having to go through each day separately.

Advance the planetarium by about one month.

Here we are! On (February 16 or whatever date)! We'll advance the daily time around so that we get to sunrise again. Advance daily time.

Now look where the Sun is! Did we guess right? Address the guesses that people made. Who has the card that says 'One month from now, Sunrise' on it? Place your card right underneath the Sun.

We'll go now to Sunset. Advance time.

Who's got the 'One month from now, Sunset' card? Place your card underneath the Sun.

At this time of year, the Sun is moving (North, South) from it's (Southern-most, Northern-most) point in the sky. This means that each day, it rises a little bit farther (North, South) than the day before. Over one or two days, this is difficult to see. But over months, it becomes obvious. Let's go now to a special day. This special day is called the (Vernal Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice). Pick the next nearest of these special days, and advance the time in the planetarium to that day. For example, if you are doing this show in January, the next nearest special day is the Vernal Equinox. Does anybody know what happens on the (Vernal Equinox)?

Great! That's exactly right, on the (Vernal Equinox), there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness! This only happens twice each year. Does anyone know the name of the other (equinox)?

So only on two days each year, the Vernal and the Autumnal Equinox, are the day and the night of equal length. Where do you think the Sun will rise on this special day, the (Vernal Equinox)?

Now let's see where the Sun rises on the (Vernal Equinox). Advance the day to make the Sun rise. Who has the ('Vernal Equinox, Sunrise') card? Place it underneath the Sun.

Can anyone guess where the Sun might set? North or South of Today's Sunset? Advance the day to make the Sun set. Who has the ('Vernal Equinox, Sunset') card? Place it underneath the Sun. Did we guess right?

Now, we will go to the next special day, the (Summer Solstice). Does anyone know what happens on the Summer Solstice?

Great! That's exactly right, on the Summer Solstice, we get more hours of daylight than on any other day of the year! Does it make sense that this very long day is in the summer time? Why?

Now let's see where the Sun rises on the Summer Solstice. Advance the day to make the Sun rise. Who has the 'Summer Solstice, Sunrise' card? Place it underneath the Sun.

And where the Sun sets. Advance the day to make the Sun set. Who has the 'Summer Solstice, Sunset' card? Place it underneath the Sun.

What do you think is going to happen when we go to the Autumnal Equinox? Do you think the Sun will rise further North than on Summer Solstice? Further South than the Vernal Equinox? Where?

Let's find out!

Move the planetarium to the Autumnal Equinox at sunrise.

Here's sunrise on the Autumnal Equinox. Who's got the card? Put it up there!

And here's sunset on the Autumnal Equinox. Who's got the card? Put it up there!

Now, where do you think the Sun will rise on the final special day (the Winter Solstice)?

Let's find out!

Move the planetarium to the Winter Solstice at sunrise.

Here's sunrise on the Winter Solstice. Who's got the card? Put it up there!

And here's sunset on the Winter Solstice. Who's got the card? Put it up there!

Now, we're going to go to this day, next year, at sunrise, so that we will have gone through a whole year in the planetarium. You will be one year older. Where do you think the Sun will rise on that day?

Let's find out! While I get this right, think about what you might do this year. Advance the planetarium.

Look! Here we are at sunrise, one year from today. Where will the Sun rise on this day? That's exactly right! It takes one year for the Sun to go through all the different places where it rises, and come back to the same place in the sky! Where will the Sun set? Advance the planetarium to sunset.

You were right! The Sun sets at the same place in the sky one year from now as it did today! Now take a look at the cards on the wall. Do you see that the Sun went North from today's date, through the Vernal Equinox, to the Summer Solstice, then back South again through the Autumnal Equinox to the Winter Solstice? Can you see that the seasons change with the places where the Sun rises and sets, and also with the length of the day?

If you still have time, you can discuss the fact that all of this is caused by the fact that the Earth is tilted over on it's axis, relative to the plane in which it orbits the Sun. It is EXTREMELY helpful to have a model here!!!