CM2 Trip to Griffith Observatory
Posted April 23, 2012
Have you ever observed the stars? Well, the fifth grade had a chance to go to the Griffith Observatory. Our first stop was the roof. We looked at the sun through a telescope. We learned about the reflector and refractor telescope.
Next, we convened in the planet room. We weighed ourselves on different planets. We saw a seismograph and created our own earthquakes. We saw a blown up photograph of stars taken by telescopic lens. The sun and planets were 3 dimensional and in proportion. We touched an actual meteorite made of iron and nickel, 4.5 billion years old, probably from between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid belt. We then saw a chart about stars, and all the different elements. We learned that when huge stars explode, it is called a ”Supernova.”
Do you know what it really takes to have life? You need: Liquid Water, Energy (sun) and “CHNOPS “ (otherwise known as: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur).
We watched a demonstration of how to make a homemade comet. First - mix water, sand, coal, Windex. Next shake in Ziploc bag. Finally, put in some dry ice and drain water.
The final stop was the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, that has been completely re-invented. We experienced various settings, from a rainstorm to California, the depths of the ocean, to the authentic night sky of ancient times. We saw the possibility of life on Mars and Europa (one of Jupiter’s moons). We saw many constellations that were vital for survival. Constellations helped with navigation, like the Big Dipper always revealing, the North Star. Certain constellations also helped show seasons, like the Big Bear hibernating during winter.
It was a great day of exploring our universe!
Field Trip To The Observatory written by CM2-5
