WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET
Physical Science & Grade 11, Quarter 2, Week 1, PART B
Astronomical Phenomena Known to Astronomers
Name: ___________________________________________ Section: ____________________
Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC)
Cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to astronomers before the advent of telescopes.
(S11/12PS-IVa-41)
Learning Objectives:
After going through this learning activity sheet, you are expected to:
1. discuss some of the contributions of the ancient astronomers to astronomy;
2. cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to astronomers before the advent of
telescopes; and
3. simulate an activity done by an ancient astronomer like making a sundial.
Time Allotment: 2 hours
Key Concepts
Do you believe that the positions of heavenly bodies were significant to our ancestors? In this
lesson, you will understand that the sky was a practical tool for survival. Ancient people made
advanced tools for measuring the precise changes from season to season, from month to month,
and even today.
Ancient Astronomy
Long before recorded history, people were aware of the close relationship between Earth's events
and heavenly bodies' positions. Ancient people realized that changes in the seasons and floods of
great rivers such as the Nile in Egypt occurred when individual celestial bodies, including the sun,
moon, planets, and stars, reached particular places in the heavens. Early agrarian cultures, whose
survival depended on seasonal change, believed that if these heavenly objects could control the
seasons, they could strongly influence all earthly events. These beliefs undoubtedly encouraged
early civilizations to keep records of celestial objects.
Astronomical Phenomena Before the Advent of Telescopes
The telescope was invented around 1600. It was refined by several physicists, including Galileo
and Newton, for the use of the Solar system. Before the invention of the telescope, many
astronomers established their system of studying the solar system, Earth, and the Universe and
observed the following astronomical phenomena:
Sunrise in the East and Sunset in the West
Variation of the Point in the Horizon Where the Sun Rises and Sets in A Year
Moon's Phases
Ancient people observed that the moon changes its appearance from a thin semi-circular disk to
a full circular disk and changes its path within 29.5. These phases of the moon are the basis of
ancient calendars.
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 1
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Lunar Eclipse
It was observed that sometimes the moon or part seemed to be covered by a shadow for a brief
moment. This shadow is from the planet earth when the Earth is between the moon and the sun.
This event is referred to as a lunar eclipse, wherein the moon changes into a dark or blood red
color.
Solar Eclipse
Ancient astronomers also observed the occurrence of a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when
the moon is in between the sun and the Earth and the moon partially or entirely blocks out the
sun.
The Motion of the Stars
The stars are observed to be embedded in a heavenly sphere that turns around an axis one day.
This axis crosses the celestial sphere at a particular mark in the northern sky near the northern
star, Polaris. Also, the constellations' positions in the night sky change depending on the time of
the year.
Planet's Visibility
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, thought to be stars, were discovered as planets called
"wanderers" or "planetes" in Greek terms. Astronomers differentiated planets from the stars
because of their very bright light and periodic change of positions, which do not conform to the
stars' behavior belonging to a constellation in a fixed position.
Ancient Contributions to Astronomy
Early Americans
Maya Indians developed written language and number systems.
Recorded motions of Sun, Moon, and planets, such as Venus.
Mayans predicted solar and lunar eclipses and Venus' path and recorded it in picture
books made of tree bark.
The Mayan calendar was more accurate than those of the Spanish.
https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/maya-
history/top-10-inventions-of-mayan-civilization
Figure1. Mayan Calendar
Egyptians
recorded interval of floods on the Nile every 365 days
noted Sirius rose with the sun when floods due
invented sundials to measure the time of day from the movement of the sun
https://www.livescience.com/28057-ancient-egyptian-sundial- https://virtualfieldtripegypt.weebly.com/egyptian-calendar-
discovered.html and-clock.html discovered.html
Figure 2. A sundial was dating to the 13th century B.C Figure 3. Egyptian Sundial
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 2
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Babylonians
Venus tablets of Ammizaduga (c. 1500 B.C.).
Eclipse Records (from very early times).
New-moon records (from equally early times).
Babylonians were the first people to make detailed records of Mercury's movements, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. These are the only planets visible until the telescope
Jupiter
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-babylonian-astronomers-were-way-ahead-of-their-time
Figure 4. Ancient Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet
This ancient cuneiform recorded an astonishingly modern method in tracking Jupiter's path. A
sixty-day portion of Jupiter's path across the sky was plotted on a Babylonian astronomer's graph.
It is depicted in the graph that the time was plotted on one axis, and the number of degrees
Jupiter's path shifted each day on the other axis resulting in a trapezoid graph. This cuneiform
implies that the makers understood a concept important to modern calculus — 1500 years earlier
than historians have ever seen (Image: © Trustees of the British Museum/Mathieu Ossendrijver)
Greeks
• Thales predicted an eclipse of the sun (585 B.C.)
• Pythagoras (550 B.C) noted that the Evening and Morning stars were just the same and not a
star but a planet (Venus)
• Some Greek astronomers thought the Earth might be in the shape of a ball, and the moonlight
was reflected sunlight.
Ancient Architectures Influenced by Astronomy
Pyramids of Giza in Egypt (2560 BCE)
Each side of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt was constructed so that each side faced south, north,
west, or east of a compass within a tenth of a degree. Also, the three pyramids represent the belt
stars of the constellation Orion.
https://www.klook.com/en-HK/activity/37532-giza-pyramids-skip-line-ticket-cairo/
Figure 5. The Great Pyramids of Giza representing the belt stars of the constellation Orion
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 3
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Stonehenge in England (3000 BCE)
Stonehenge in England was thought to have been an observatory used to predict solar and lunar
eclipses. It was built so that the sun would rise above one of the main stones in the summer
solstice.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Stonehenge+on+the+summer+solstice.
Figure 6. Stonehenge on the summer solstice
The Pyramid in Palenque
The windows at the top and sides of the pyramid at the Mayan Site in Palenque, Mexico, were so
arranged that the rooms they lead to are illuminated by the rising sun. It was said that during
equinoxes, the illumination of the sun on the stairs and the base of the stepped pyramid creates
the illusion of a crawling serpent, symbolizing a god closely related to planet Venus in Mayan
Mythology.
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/pyramids-in-mexico/
Figure 7. The Pyramid in Palenque
The Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming
The Plains Indians built it. Its spokes and rock piles are aligned with the rising and setting of the
sun and other stars.
http://www.phys.unt.edu/~clittler/maymester2.PPT
Figure 8. The Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 4
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Activity 1. Find The Partner
What you need: Pen and paper
Direction: Match the astronomical concepts in column A to Column B. Write the letter of the
correct answer in a separate paper.
Column A Column B.
_____1. A lunar eclipse A. These three pyramids represent the belt stars
of the constellation Orion.
_____2. Ancient Babylonian B. They recorded motions of Sun, Moon, and
planets especially Venus.
cuneiform tablet
C. It occurs when the Moon is in between the Sun
_____3. Solar eclipse and the Earth and the moon partially or
completely blocks out the sun.
_____4. Early Americans
D. It describes a surprisingly modern method to
_____5. Pyramids of Giza track the path of Jupiter.
E. It occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on
_____6. Stonehenge in England the moon when the Earth is between the Sun
_____7. The Pyramid in Palenque and the Moon.
F. It was more accurate than those of Spanish
_____8. The Big Horn Medicine Wheel calendar
_____9. Sundials G. It’s used to measure time of day from
movement of the Sun.
_____10. Mayan Calendar H. It was built by the Plains Indians. Its spokes
and rock piles are aligned with the rising and
setting of the Sun and other stars.
I. The windows at the top and sides of this
pyramid were so arranged that the rooms they
lead to are illuminated by the rising sun.
J. It was constructed so that in the summer
solstice, the sun would rise above one of the
main stones.
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 5
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Activity 2. It’s About time: Sundial Making!
What You Need:
Used paper plate or used folder
plastic straw
sharp pencil
crayons
duct tape/Scotch tape
sunny place
clock or watch
Any timer, in alerting you at one-hour intervals
Direction:
1.Make a hole in the paper plate’s center the same size or smaller than a straw using a sharp
pencil or any sharp objects so the straw will go through. Be careful in handling sharp objects.
2.Place the paper plate in an upside-down position. Write the number “12” on the paper plate’s
edge.
3.Draw a line from the number “12” to the paper plate's hole using a ruler.
4. Make three vertical, equal, half-inch cuts from the bottom of the straw to spread the sections
out for it to stand on.
5. Put the straw in the hole and use a scotch-tape to secure the cut sections to the paper plate’s
bottom. Please refer to the figures below.
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
The picture was taken by Emely M. Tragua
Figure 9. Illustration of Step 1 to Step 5
6.Just before noon, locate a place where the sun shines all day, and you can leave the sundial in
an upright position, such as in your driveway, your walkway, your veranda, or any other.
7.At exactly noon, turn the paper plate, so the straw's shadow lines up with the line and the
number 12.
8. Fasten the paper plate to the ground with scotch tape or something else, so it doesn't move.
Predict what will happen an hour later.
9. Every hour, check your sundial and the shadow's position on your plate using any timer to
alert you at the one-hour interval. Since you will start at noon., note the shadow's location at 1
PM. and write “1” on the edge of the plate where this shadow falls. Each time you check the
sundial, write the hour on the edge of the plate. Repeat this process every hour on the hour to
make the clock.
Source: National Wildlife Federation
The picture was taken by Emely M. Tragua
Figure 10. Illustration of Step 9
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 6
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Guiding Questions:
1.) What is a sundial?
2.) After several hours of tracing the straw's shadow in your sundial, observe each tracing's
position. Did the shadow move during the day? What else changed about the straw’s shadow
with each tracing?
3.) What do you think caused the shadow’s changes in your sundial?
Rubrics:
3 – Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts and has no misconception.
2 - Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts but with minimal misconception.
1 – Explanation is consistent with the concepts but with misconceptions.
0 - No discussion.
Sundial Assessment
Rubric for Grading Sundial:
*(DO NOT ANSWER the boxes below; For Teacher use only)
Sundial All Some Few None Teacher
5 3 2 0 Assessment
Set up correctly
Labeled correctly
Marked correctly
https://www.alcaweb.org/arch.php/resource/view/78868
Reflection
Direction: Answer the following questions briefly on a separate sheet of paper.
1. How did the astronomical phenomena observed by the astronomers before affect the lives
of our ancestors?
2. Would you believe that pregnant women's exposure to the Lunar eclipse could harm the
pregnant woman and the fetus? Why?
Rubrics:
3 – Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts and has no misconception.
2 - Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts but with minimal misconception.
1 – Explanation is consistent with the concepts but with misconceptions.
0 - No discussion.
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 7
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
References for learners:
ALCA. "Sundial Assessment" Accessed November 13, 2020.
https://www.alcaweb.org/arch.php/resource/view/78868
Bayo-ang, Roly B., Coronacion, Maria Lourdes G., Jorda, Annamae T., Restubog, Anna Jamille
Physical Science for Senior High School. Quezon City. Educational Resources
Corporation, 2016, 138, 163
CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY. "Astronomy "Accessed November 12,
2020.https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcs03e.html
HOMESCIENCETOOLS." How to Make a Sundial?" Accessed November 11, 2020.https://learning-
center.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-a-sundial-science-project/
Liberal Arts and Sciences. "Babylonian Astronomy" Accessed November
12,2020.http://users.clas.ufl.edu/ufhatch/pages/03-Sci-Rev/SCI-REV-Teaching/HIS-
SCI-STUDY- GUIDE/0014_babylonianAstron.html
Library of Congress. “Ancient Greek Astronomy and Cosmology” Accessed November 11,2020.
https://www.loc.gov/collections/finding-our-place-in-the-cosmos-with-carl
sagan/articles-and-essays/modeling-the-cosmos/ancient-greek-astronomy-and-
cosmology
Phenomena Known to Astronomers before the Advent of Telescopes. Accessed November
11,2020.https://lagmandana.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/astronomical-phenomena-
known-to- astronomers-before-the-advent-of-telescopes/
Santiago, Karen S., Silverado, Angelina A., 2016. Exploring Life Through Science. Physical Science.
927, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
SCRIBD. "Physical Science: Teaching Guide for Senior High School" Accessed November
11,2020https://www.scribd.com/document/351198351/Physical-Science-pdf
Space Awareness. "Discovering The Shape of the Earth How Do We Know the Earth Is Round?"
Accessed November 11, 2020. http://www.space-
awareness.org/pt/activities/6057/discovering-the-shape-of-the-earth/
Sumalhay, Peace Joy T., Udarbe, Leneth G. Physical Science Alternative Delivery Mode Quarter
2-Module 3. The Universe and the Laws of Motion First Edition. DEPED Regional Office-
10. Accessed November 10, 2020. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders
/18zUtSUtUTq3XVbBXaRL-BPe29LnqcT89?fbclid=IwAR3LGjvM2NT6WVoSeuPVMkJZT
4jwVsJG-T2Iwh9di6PZlfqVOfx-SA7CsI
Scientific American. “It's about Time... to Make a Sundial!”Accessed December 3, 2020.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-about-time-to-make-a-
sundial/#:~:text=The%20oldest%20known%20instrument%20for,time%20down%20to%2
0the%20minute!
Preschool Crafts for Kids. “Easy Sundial Paper Plate Craft.”Accessed December 3, 2020.
http://easypreschoolcraft.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-sundial-paper-plate-craft.html
WIKIPEDIA." Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark" Accessed
November14,2020.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Wheel/Medicine_Mountain_
National_Hi storic_Landmark
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 8
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
Answer Key
Activity1. Find the Partner!
1. E
2. D
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. J
7. I
8. H
9. G
10. F
Activity 2. It’s About time: Sundial Making!
1.) Sundial is an instrument showing the shadow of a pointer cast by the sun onto a plate
marked with the day's hours.
2.) Yes. The straw's shadow was in a different position each hour, each time moving clockwise
from the start position.
3.)The straw’s shadow changes in position because the Earth rotates on its axis.
Sample Sundial
The picture was taken by Emely M. Tragua
Figure 11. Sample Sundial
Author: Emely M. Tragua
School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 9
email address:emely.tragua001@deped.gov.ph
