Week 6

Read: From Astronomy to Cartography (Chap. 9) and Climates and Continents (Chap. 10). Actually, you can skip Chap. 10.
Quiz: Monday. Covers Bede's The reckoning of time.

Homework exercises: Latitudes (Ex. 9.1), Waldseemuller's worldview (Ex. 9.2). Due noon Saturday week 6.

Laboratory exercises: Latitude and longitude observations (Ex. 9.3). For the latitude observation, you should find and measure the altitude of Polaris using your cross staff during any evening this week. For the longitude observation, you should go out on a sunny day around noon, set up a small vertical stick, and use a sheet of paper to measure the length of the shadow every five minutes between 12:30 and 1:30 pm. From this, you can determine the precise time that the shadow is shortest (local noon). For each exercise, make a scan of your lab book that includes data tables, sketches, and calculations of latitude and longitude. This is due noon Monday week 7. Also, don't forget to submit your weekly planetary observation on Monday of week 7.

From astronomy to cosmography (3 videos):







Climates and continents (no videos yet…):
Intro. to Astronomy