I’ll set up at least one telescope on campus. Sometime in the evening, you’ll join me and peer through the telescope, which should give you a striking view of the Moon. You will then write a five-page essay that will:
To write your essay, draw on peer-reviewed scholarship on the Moon and its scientific and human histories. Students who draw on more of these "secondary sources" may receive a higher grade.
- Tell me a particular feature on, or aspect of, the Moon that struck you.
- Explain what that feature or aspect actually is, and how it was formed.
- Describe how it has factored in human history, considering for example: how early astronomers understood it, how robotic or crewed missions to the Moon attempted to study it, or how plans to colonize the Moon might exploit it.
To write your essay, draw on peer-reviewed scholarship on the Moon and its scientific and human histories. Students who draw on more of these "secondary sources" may receive a higher grade.