Altitude & Azimuth for AST1040

Statement of Purpose:  This activity will demonstrate my ability to properly submit an activity write up for this class, as well as my ability to properly locate and record the location of a given object in the sky.  This activity will also show that objects in the sky (in this instance, the moon) change location and appearance throughout a given time period as seen from a given point on earth.

Statement of Procedure:  This activity required that I step outside, locate the moon and estimate it’s altitude (horizon being 0°, zenith (point directly above head) being 90°) and azimuth (360° horizon according to true north – true north being 0°, south being  180°), and to record this data along with the time of the observation and the appearance of the moon at that time.  The next step of the activity was to incorporate the observed data into a complete activity write up in such a way as to explain the activity, complete with analysis of the data to complete a statement of conclusion, and demonstrate a proper activity write up simultaneously.

Data:

Date	Time	Location	Lunar Altitude	Lunar Azimuth	Appearance
9/2/2011	9:20 PM	Home, N Denver	15 deg	210 deg	first quarter, half full, slight lean to the right
9/5/2011	7:02 PM	Home, N Denver	40 deg	180 deg	waxing gibbous, slightly more than half full, straight vertical
9/8/2011	6:34 PM	Home, N Denver	15 deg	140 deg	waxing gibbous, more than half full, slight lean to the left
9/11/2011	9:16 PM	Home, N Denver	25 deg	125 deg	Full Moon

Statement of Conclusion:  Throughout a period of nine days, the moon changes location and appearance as seen from a given point on earth.  The most noticeable change is my first and last recordings.  Both observations were made around the same time in the evening, but the results were drastically different, both in location and appearance.  The data would probably show more incremental changes if the observations were made closer together.  If I were to observe the moon on an hourly basis, I believe my data would reflect the moon’s altitude and azimuth changing more subtly while the appearance would stay nearly the same.  If I were to observe the moon on a daily basis, I believe my data would reflect the moon’s altitude, azimuth and appearance changing.  The observations that I collected could be broken down into smaller increments to show the subtle but steady motion of the moon across the sky as seen from a given point on earth.

1)      After having done your observations, do you think you could repeat these observations exactly in two weeks?  Why or why not?

a.       I could repeat the observations; however, they wouldn’t be exactly the same.  The moon would not be in the same place nor would it appear the same.  As the moon revolves around the earth and the earth around the sun, the moon will appear in different phases and locations in the sky from a given point on earth.  For instance, my first and last observations were only one week apart and they vary drastically.  In two weeks from my last observation, the moon would not be visible because the sun’s glare would blot it out (new moon).

2)      Must these observations be done during the night-time?  Why or why not?

a.       The observations can be done during the day-time as long as the moon is not in its “new moon” phase.  For instance, the Full Moon rises at about sunset, a Waning Gibbous Moon sets at a few hours after sunrise, a Third Quarter Moon doesn’t even set until about noon.  The New Moon is in the sky during the day, however it cannot be seen because the sun’s light “washes it out”.  So, no, the observations do not be done during the night-time, they can also be done during the day, providing the moon is in the appropriate phase(s).

3)      How accurate do you think your observations are? (Just how you feel about it)

a.       I would guess my observations are accurate to within about 20°.  It is difficult to see the horizon from my point of observation, as it is obstructed from view by trees, houses, mountains, etc.  Also, my estimations of azimuth are based on another estimation of where I am in relation to “true north”.  I feel like the appearances are accurately observed.  Ideally, these observations should be made from a large flat, unobstructed viewpoint.

4)      Imagine that another student made the same observations at the same time as you, except from a location 10 miles away from you.  How do you think that would affect the observations?  In other words, how different do you think they would be from yours?

If another student made observations at the same time(s) that I did, the results would be different, but not by much.  The appearance of the moon would stay the same; however the altitude and azimuth might be subtly different, maybe one or two degrees difference.  Also, the observations would depend on how similarly the other student and I estimate.

Vocabulary Story for ENG 1010

Henry was a timid man.  Some might say that Henry was a bit of a narcissist.  He was rarely seen with anyone else and he seemed quite content in his self-inflicted, ostracization.

Henry reveled in the litany of precocious planning of his ostentatious picnics, which he took at least once a week.  This week, however, would prove to be fastidious. 

With a glib pride, Henry prepared for this week’s junket.   Henry gathered the items from his list and tossed them into his picnic basket. 

Henry walked, picnic basket in hand, to the city park where he ritualistically had his picnics.  He found his favorite hill and laid his picnic blanket among the gregarious wildflowers.  Henry removed the items from his picnic basket, laid back, sighed deeply and thought, “what a perfect day for a picnic”.  Paradoxically, as soon as the words left his mouth the skies opened up at it started pouring.  Panicked, Henry gathered his picnic and proceeded home.  With a sense of malaise Henry commented to himself, “Well, that was a fiasco”. 

The next day, Henry pretended to be oblivious to the previous day’s events and started planning his picnic once again.  Though the grass was still damp, Henry laid out his blanket in the wildflowers, removed his items, laid back, sighed deeply and thought, “what a perfect day for a picnic”.  As soon as he said the words, a woman was standing at the end of his blanket and asked if she could join him.  “I was just leaving”, replied Henry.  He gathered his things and left the woman standing there. 

The next day, Henry was determined to have the perfect picnic.  He gathered his things, went to the park, laid out his blanket, laid back, sighed deeply and thought, “what a perfect day for a picnic”.  However, when he removed his items from his basket, he realized that he had left his bread at home.  Still determined to have the perfect picnic, Henry glanced around the park to see if there was a place to find bread.  He spotted a woman a few feet away having a picnic of her own. 

Against his timidity, Henry gathered his strength, took a deep breath and walked over to the woman.  When he neared, he realized it was the same woman from yesterday.  He thought about turning back, but realized that his perfect picnic wouldn’t happen.  He asked the woman for two slices of bread.  She replied, “Oh, you!  You may have two slices of bread on the condition that I may join you at your picnic.” 

Henry returned to his picnic blanket with mercenary bread in hand and the woman following closely behind.  Together, they chatted a little, but mostly just sat and enjoyed the sunny day and the perfect picnic.

Research Synopsis: Aztec Cannibalism

The mysteries of Mesoamerican culture are still veiled in little more than speculation.  The rituals, practices, norms, and beliefs of the ancient Aztec world are still being discovered and theorized.  One thing on which scholars agree is that Aztecs practiced cannibalism.  There is still speculation as to how widespread this practice was in pre-Columbian America.

Though there are still remaining, isolated, groups who practice necro-cannibalism (eating of the dead), it is globally accepted as a taboo practice.  Homicidal cannibalism (killing of a human for food) is believed to be extinct.

The origins of the practice of cannibalism in the Aztecs, is again, shrouded in mystery.  There have been several theories of how and why Aztecs would eat the flesh of a fellow human.  In the religious practices of the Aztecs, human sacrifice was commonplace.  Human sacrifice was seen as a necessity to the continuity of life.  The Aztec people regularly took part in autosacrifice, child-sacrifice, warrior sacrifice, self-mutilation, and bloodletting.  Human sacrifices were generally self-volunteers as it was perceived an honor to sacrifice one’s self for the benefit of the community.

Religion in the Aztecs was built on a hierarchy much like the Catholic Church of today.  There was a leader (such as the Pope) and several bishops, priests and so-on.  The Aztecs had no separation of church and state, religion was very much a part of their everyday life.  From agriculture to war, the Aztecs held a god responsible for nearly every aspect of life.

The Aztecs were meticulous in their record-keeping and calendars.  Today, we are left with a clear record of Aztec rituals and practices.  While cannibalism is widely accepted as a common practice among Aztecs, there is little record as to why, how, or who was eaten.

I Remember... First Kiss for ENG 1010

I was always an affectionate child and I’d like to think that my family was equally affectionate toward me.  I would imagine that I was kissed and hugged on a regular basis.

It wasn’t until I was nearly six years old that affection outside of my family even crossed my mind.  I lived in Sacramento with my family on a small cul-de-sac named Sinbad Court.  The cul-de-sac provided a safe environment and close, neighborly relationships.  The family directly across the cul-de-sac consisted of a mother, father, son and daughter.  The daughter was two years older than me, had brown hair, dark eyebrows, brown eyes and a nearly perfectly round face.  At six years old, I found myself with butterflies in my stomach whenever she was within eyesight.

One day, my sister and I were playing with Brandy (my earliest crush) and her brother Robert.  We were inside their house as the day was unbearably hot outside.  Robert and Brandy shared a room which was painted a dark blue and consisted of a bunk bed, two dressers and a closet that was filled with clothes.  

We decided to play hide-n-go seek and it was my turn to be “it”.  I stood in the hallway and counted to a pre-determined number, yelled “Ready or not, here I come!” and proceeded to hunt my friends.  The first place I looked was in Robert and Brandy’s closet which is where I found Brandy hiding.  In our rules of “hide-n-go seek”, the person who is “it” must find and then tag the person he/she found.  Instead of tagging Brandy, I decided to kiss her.  This unconventional “tagging” must have surprised her and I think it shocked me as well because neither of us moved for a long time.  The butterflies in my stomach fluttered with an increased anxiety and we both just stood there looking at each other awkwardly until Robert interrupted and demanded an explanation for why he hadn’t yet been found.

Outside of my family, that was my first kiss.

I Remember... First Fight for ENG 1010

Growing up with two sibling sisters on either side of me was anything but peaceful.  I’m not saying that I wasn’t the cause conflicts, because I probably was most of the time.  I knew how to push my sister’s buttons and they knew how to push mine.  There were several, countless squabbles, arguments and physical fights throughout my childhood.

I can’t say I remember my first fight, mostly because there were so many.  There was, however, one fight that stood above the rest.

It was a warm spring day in Greybull, Wyoming.  My mother regularly gave piano lessons to students after school and my siblings and I were required to stay in the basement and keep the noise to a minimum.  My mother usually prepared an afternoon snack for us to enjoy while we waited for her to finish her piano lessons.

The snack this day was saltine crackers, peanut butter and some milk.  My mother placed my older sister, Rachel, in charge of the snacks.  In what still proves to be a troublesome disposition, my nature led me to question and test my sister’s authority and competency as “snack administrator”.

Rachel was insistent on even disbursement of the saltine crackers.  I thought I deserved more than was rationed to me.  As I took control of the box of crackers, my sister seized my hand and warned me to put the saltines down.  I foolishly ignored the command and proceeded to remove the crackers from the box.  The next thing I knew, my jaw was rapidly making contact with Rachel’s knee.  It was almost slow motion as I watched a chunk of my tooth fly out of my mouth, bounce off my sister’s shirt and land on the floor.

My mother’s piano lessons were definitely interrupted after that.  I never again cared to question my sister’s authority and I also permanently lost my appetite for saltine crackers.

I Remember... Most Interesting Dream

I think most dreams are interesting.  It’s difficult for me to say that any one dream is more interesting than another.  However, I do find it unusually interesting when dreams are recurring.

When I was younger, probably eight or nine, I had a dream that someone broke into my house while I was sleeping.  The intruder proceeded to slaughter my family in my house.  The slaughtering was anything but quiet and woke me (in my dream).  In a panic and flushed with fear, I ran out of my house and hid under our car parked in the cul-de-sac where we lived.  I crouched under the car with a pool of viscous oil soaking my pajamas, the brisk air cooling my fevered terror, and the foggy night air confining the yellow glow of the street lights.  I stayed under the car until all the screams stopped and then I waited longer, never daring to move a muscle.  After what seemed an eternity, the intruder walked out the front door and looked around as if he knew something had escaped; I knew he was looking for me.  He slowly walked toward the car, cautiously surveying the cul-de-sac for movement.  He walked right up to the car and stopped, bent over, saw me and gave me an evil grin.  And that’s when I woke up.

This dream was so vivid and frightening that I suspect it influenced other dreams of the same nature.  I never had the exact same dream, per-se, but I have had several dreams with the same scenes, characters, atmospheres, plots, and feelings.  Every time one of the aspects of this dream shows up in another dream, I am reminded of the originally dream which has stuck in my memory, vividly, since I was a child.

I’ve noticed a trend that the themes of this dream slowly occur less and less as I get older, but they still occasionally creep into my subconscious and remind me of one of the most horrific dreams of my childhood.

I Remember... My First Animal Experience for ENG 1010

While I can’t remember the first time I interacted with an animal, I can remember the first pet which was my idea.  My family had a cat named Cozy.  He was a long-haired tabby cat.  Cozy must have been unsatisfying for me because one day I woke up with the idea that I needed my own cat.  I begged and pleaded with my parents, my grandparents, my siblings, and just about anybody who would put up with me.  I made my grandmother take me to the pet store so I could peruse the available options.  I looked at cat magazines so I could pick the best match for me.  I did my cat homework, all the while, ignoring the cat we already had.

My obsession with getting a cat turned into a general obsession with cats.  I had posters on my walls of cats, both domestic and wild.  I would often pretend I was a cheetah and show anybody who was paying attention just how fast I was.  I regularly watched the cartoon Thundercats with awe and appreciation, all the while, ignoring the cat we already had.

Finally, my parents gave in to my incessant begging, pleading and whining.  We drove to the pet store and browsed the kittens.  I picked the one I wanted and the shop owner grabbed it, put it in a cardboard box, rang us up and sent us on our way.

When we got home, I unpackaged my new friend, a short-haired tabby cat whom I named Cookie.   Cookie was my newest best friend, and I’m sure he thought of me as annoying, needy and overly affectionate because I never let him out of my sight.  I was torturously enthralled with Cookie.  I would make crowns for “King Cookie”, chase him around the house, attempt to speak “cat” to him, among several other ridiculous activities.

Cozy hated Cookie.  As if to make me pay for what I’d done, Cozy became territorial and started spraying.   Then I started paying attention to him.