Mystery Class Update: March 28, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Mystery Classes from Space
- All the (Latitude) News That's Fit To Print!
- All Things Being Equal: Discussion of CQ#3
- Eggstraordinary Reminder
- This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
- CLUES From Your Mystery Friends
- Clues Calendar: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars
Nine Mystery Classes from Space
Looking down from space, 9 of the 10 Mystery Classes are shown in this image of Earth from Space. But "where?" you ask. See if this helps. The darkened area shows where it is night, and:
 |
"MC#3
has been awake for a little while now; MC # 5, 6, 8 and 9 will soon be stirring from their sleep; MC # 1, 4 and 10 are tucked in for a good long sleep yet; while MC #2 should be getting ready for rest soon." |
All the (Latitude) News That's Fit To Print!
Have you heard the news? There's a cool new invention called "Latitude Shoes". A pair of these allows anyone who wears them to travel aloft around the globe at their own Latitude in just 24 hours. More on this breaking story will be published in Tuesday's April 1st Latitude Sun Times newspaper, but we've got an advance copy for you. We hope you'll find it "uplifting"!
Speaking of tracking the time around the globe, take a look at the "timely" World Clocks lesson from Mystery Class veteran teacher Cathie Plaehn (sure to be a big help to Latitude Shoes global travelers), and the "Follow the Sun" lesson to understand the real reason why the sun feels warmer:
We've also collected the latest sunrise/sunset data below and the next
set of clues from your 10 secret Mystery Friends too. (They'd love to
tell you more, but they can't right now--their lips are sealed.)
All Things Being Equal? Discussion of CQ #3
Some of you noticed on the Equinox that many locations did not appear to have exactly twelve hours of equal day and night. So we asked you "Why don't all locations appear to have EXACTLY twelve hours of day and night on the Equinox?"
Ms. Cerullo's science classes from Joyce Middle School in Woburn, MA brainstormed and developed a composite of 5 ideas for their answer:
"1. Time Zones Because the times within a time zone are not the exact sun time for every area, maybe that would change how the photoperiod is figured.
2. A day is not exactly 24 hours, therefore it would not be divided equally into 12 hours.
3. A year is not exactly 365 days. Maybe the extra 1/4 day each year adds a little extra time to the Equinox day.
4. If the speed of the Earth were not constant, maybe it is slower on the Equinox.
5. Because the Earth is revolving at the same time it is rotating, it takes more than 24 hours for the Earth to turn back towards the Sun the following day. This could add extra minutes the photoperiod."
The basic explanation is that the idea of having 12 hours of daylight and night on the Equinox is not exact. Everyone is said to have "roughly" or "about" 12 hours of daylight on the Equinox. This is because daylength calculation can vary depending on who is doing the measurement of sunrise or sunset. For instance, before sunrise, there is twilight, and the exact time of sunrise can be observed slightly differently by different people or sources (and so can sunset time too). Pinpointing a specific time for sunrise (or sunset) can also be especially difficult when a location's daylength changes by only a few minutes per week. (Remember, your focus is on changing photoperiod each week, so don't be distracted by minor changes in sunrise/sunset times.)
A more technical explanation has to do with REFRACTION of the Earth's
atmosphere. As it's been explained to us, the air actually bends the light
of the sun, especially near the horizon. So, when you look at the sun
right at sunrise, you are actually seeing over the edge of the earth.
Technically, the sun isn't there, it's just its image. This effect means
that at the moments of sunrise and sunset, the sun is actually below the
horizon. This adds extra time at both times of the day. Maybe an extra
few minutes to each side.
Eggstraordinary Reminder
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In the meantime, take a look at the report and photographs from
Gayle Kloewer and her 7th grade students from York Middle School in York,
NE:
"Thought you might like a picture of my balanced eggs! We've had the kids working on this at home since March 6th. Today in class they're trying to balance again and they continue until April 6th. I just had way too much fun balancing eggs in the back of class while my student teacher was teaching!"
Gayle
 Mrs. Klower trying for an even dozen standing eggs. |
 Brett and Adam |
 Evan and Keith |
This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
Remember, the secret Mystery sites recorded their times last Monday, the same day you collected your own local sunrise/sunset data.
Journey North Mystery Class
Sunrise/Sunset Data
Data For: Monday, March 24, 2003
| MYSTERY CLASS |
SUNRISE |
SUNSET |
| #1 |
05:45 |
18:06 |
| #2 |
06:32 |
18:44 |
| #3 |
05:55 |
17:58 |
| #4 |
05:50 |
18:01 |
| #5 |
06:28 |
18:54 |
| #6 |
07:08 |
19:18 |
| #7 |
00:00* |
00:00* |
| #8 |
06:25 |
18:32 |
| #9 |
06:44 |
19:07 |
| #10 |
05:36 |
17:45 |
* Journey North Mystery Class #7 reported 00:00 for their times
and said "Sunset at last! We're in the dark now with no sunlight,
no photoperiod. No sunrise for many months to come. "
(Note: Military time is usually expressed without any punctuation.
We have used a ":" between the hours and minutes for clarity.)
CLUES From Your Mystery Friends
| Mystery Class | Clues | ||
| #1: | "One
of our nation's neighboring countries is Mexico. Near our location,
across the border of another one of our neighboring countries, a
business would be fined if the English words written on retail store
signs is in larger print size than the words written on the same
sign in the official language of that neighboring country."
|
||
| #2: | "The
several islands that we are comprised of were at one time under
the rule of separate kings until being united by a single King;
later we were annexed by and then we became a territory of our current
country." |
||
| #3: |
"Lamba is a traditional all purpose garment worn by men and women here. It resembles a large shawl, and can be woven from cotton or silk." |
||
| #4: | "The
name of our country comes from the native Indians who inhabited
this island centuries ago, and means 'land of mountains.' The western
third of the island is very mountainous." |
||
| #5: | "Our
country fights an everlasting battle against water. At the moment,
we've got everything under control, but 50 years ago, that was different." |
||
| #6: | "We
are a former British colony. People are nuts about our main agricultural
product. One of our most common drinks is a local tea made with
green leaves and served with loads of sugar in small glasses." |
||
| #7: |
"Our once-per-year sunset finally came. In this picture we are doing a sun salutation. Now we'll be in darkness for many months until our once-per-year sunrise comes." |
||
| #8: |
"At our school, it is like Halloween every day during mango season as hundreds of bats perch in the trees in our schoolyard. Sometimes we take a boat across the estuary and we can see the leatherback sea turtles laying eggs at night." |
||
| #9: | "Our
country is about the size of Washington and Montana combined, and
it touches 3 main bodies of water, with about 3500 kilometers of
coastline. In January 2002, we adopted a new currency, which is
about equal to the US dollar." |
||
| #10: |
|
Clues Calendar: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars
Here's the 2003 Mystery Class Schedule so you know what to expect from Journey North. Please be sure to plan ahead.
Mystery
Class Calendar 2003 |
| February 7- April 18: | Each Friday, Sunrise/Sunset Times are posted for the ten Mystery Sites. |
| March 14: | The "Longitude Clue" is posted. |
| March 21, 28, April 4, 11 & 18: | Interdisciplinary clues from the Mystery Sites are posted each week. (Please Note--out of fairness to all participants, we will only post the clues on their scheduled dates.) |
| April 4, 11 & 18 | We'll give instructions on how and when to send in your answers for the April 25 deadline. |
| April 25: Deadline for Your Answers! | No late entries will
be accepted (out
of fairness to all participants, no exceptions.) |
| May 2: | Mystery Sites Revealed! |
| May 9: | Meet Your Mystery Friends! |
The Next Mystery Class Update Will Be Posted on April 4, 2003
Copyright 2003 Journey
North. All Rights Reserved.
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