Broadening Worldviews with Astronomy and Earth Science Education

Chapter 5: Science: Sky, Earth, Life

in the book Choices We Make in the Global Village (available free!)

This is written for intelligent people interested in science but lacking a background in it, those confused about what is science and what isn't, and those interested possibilities for someday extending the scientific conceptual framework / explaining difficult to explain phenomena...Those who teach astronomy, physical science or earth science to non-science students will find this to be a valuable resource...

chapter 5 and the related discussion in chapter 8 Skepticism and Reverence with skeptical looks at things like astrology*

from Table of Contents: Chapter 5: Science: Sky, Earth, Life pages 167-225

Science—What is it?; Thinking Like a Scientist—My Personal Connection;
Non-Rational Knowing—My Personal Connection;
Science and Religion in Conflict; What is Life?;
Discovering the Sky: 10 Basic Observational Exercises
Discovering the Earth; Living on Earth—as Human Technology Develops;
Technology and a Big Beautiful Tomorrow?

*excerpt: Statement from author after spending time with the We’Moon 2020 Gaia Rhythms for Women astrological planner and calendar: “I too don’t like the ‘racist patriarchal society’ we live in and support ‘empowering women.’ But I’m saddened that what you bill as a ‘Handbook in Natural Cycles’ is not science-based. Science is what works, the silliness your handbook promotes does not work, and I fear you’re (choice #43) deceiving women into thinking this nonsense will empower them.
This chapter 5 is my effort to provide those interested in natural cycles with knowledge they can build on, and accordingly magnify their power.”

Note: while celebrating science, this book is by no means a put-down of "Non-Rational Knowing" (choice #10)

Other Resources of Interest:

1) free online open source introductory astronomy textbook: Astronomy by Andrew Fraknoi, David Morrison, Sidney Wolff

published in 2017 by non-profit OpenStax project at Rice University,
this has been read by over one-half million students

2) Classroom Activity: Making Observations (New Mexico Style) to Estimate the Size of the Earth, pdf file

by Stephen P. Cook, suitable for use in Earth Science or Astronomy classes grades 7-12
helps give a sense of how big the Earth is and how one’s eyes reveal this
can be adapted for use outside New Mexico for locations in the 31^o to 36^o N latitude range

note: The book, The Measure of All Things by Northwestern University professor Ken Alder, provides some supplemental reading / background for teachers wanting to involve their students in this activity. It tells the story of how 18th French astronomers made measurements to establish the meter--defined as one-ten millionth of the distance from the Earth's pole to its equator. It also provides an account of the history of the metric system and its adoption (or lack thereof) throughout the world.
It also provides a memorable quote:

"To divide one's night between a beautiful woman and a clear sky, and then spend the day matching theory and observation--
that is my idea of heaven on Earth. Napoleon Bonaparte

3) Coming of Age Under the Night Sky: The Importance of Astronomy in Shaping Worldviews

pre-publication version of chapter published in Astronomy and Civilization in the New Enlightenment
based on talk given by Stephen P. Cook at 2009 International Year of Astronomy conference in Budapest

4) "How to Fall into the Night Sky Forever" by Adam Frank (listen to this four minute long NPR August 5 2013 story about the right way to get a sense of our place in the universe by viewing the night sky)

5) A Great Place for Astronomy & Earth Science Teachers: The Globe Museum in Vienna (report on Feb 2018 visit)

6) A New Resource for College Distance Education Astronomy Laboratory Exercises
by Nicole P. Vogt, Stephen P. Cook, Amy Smith Muise,
The American Journal of Distance Education vol. 27, #3 2013

it fully describes the lab activities found at astronomy.nmsu.edu/geas

A remarkable sight is regularly visible in the night sky from the front door of my house in Prescott, if you know when and where to look. My appreciation of it says a lot about my worldview. Before providing details I’ll share another night sky story from a Prescott woman I just met. It’s not clear if we’ll be friends because our worldviews are quite different. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First—to use words from a Rolling Stones song—“Please allow me to introduce myself.” I’ve lived in Prescott for ten years. I’m a generally open-minded person with a big picture, mostly science-based, worldview.

Whereas five years elapsed between moving in and the front door sighting of what has become my favorite star, Canopus, roughly twenty years went by before my (hoped for?) friend noticed something wrong from her bedroom window. The constellation of Scorpius had seemingly shifted from where she recalled originally seeing it. I’m not sure what alerted her to my background in astronomy and prompted her story. Perhaps she’d heard me talking about the recent solar eclipse? Or watched as I pulled the latest issue of a science journal from my backpack to show others? Pointing to the cover, I’d said “I’m excited— they’re featuring my observational astronomy research!”

In any case, I told her what she described could be explained by a wobbling of the Earth’s axis that causes star positions to slowly shift. But—given its 26,000 year period—twenty years won’t produce noticeable changes. She insisted Scorpius had shifted. After she said she believed in astrology, had time permitted I would have contrasted it with astronomy. Contrasted pseudoscientific predictions made by astrologers in casting horoscopes, with science-based predictions made by astronomers —like the one I’d recently verified from Texas by watching the Sun disappear right on schedule as the Moon moved in front of it.

I could add—to paraphrase Carl Sagan— “Science works better than anything else when it comes to making predictions and solving problems. If there were something else that worked better, I’d be for it!” But, back to my favorite star, Canopus. Though it’s the second brightest star (after Sirius,) its extreme southern location makes it impossible to see from latitudes north of Arizona’s northern border. I didn’t often see it until I moved to southern New Mexico, where I especially recall a night watching it and the Moon.

On December 21, 2010—the night of the winter solstice—I anticipated viewing a special lunar eclipse—special in that the last time a lunar eclipse occurred on the day of the winter solstice was back in 1638. No doubt astrologers were deciding what this modern event supposedly portended.

As it turned out, something else made that night personally meaningful. Soon after midnight I noticed a bright star close to the southern horizon. As the lunar eclipse progressed, and the Moon faded, this star—Canopus—steadily gained altitude as the Earth turned. By the time Canopus reached a high point (its culmination)—and shined a small distance (just 5^o) above the southern horizon, —sunlight that had been lighting up the Moon no longer did so. Blocked by the Earth’s shadow, the Moon had disappeared. But far below it, due south, was Canopus.

As an astronomy teacher, I realized that Canopus can be used to give people an appreciation of how big the Earth is. For example, imagine in March you head south in walking from Flagstaff to the Mexican border. From a spot in Flagstaff with an unobstructed southern horizon view, you’ve just barely seen Canopus a tiny distance—2^o—above the horizon. By the time you reach the southern border you see it 5^o above the southern horizon. Canopus gets 5^o – 2^o= 3^o higher in the sky because you are moving on the round surface of the Earth.

Based on this I can imagine issuing challenges to two people. First, to one of the surprising number of people who believe the Earth is flat, “Please explain.” (They can’t!) Second, to a nerdy young person, “Explain why multiplying the distance between Flagstaff and the southern border by 120 gives a good estimate of the circumference of Earth.” A Greek nerdy guy, Erathosthenes, used a similar method over 2000 years ago to provide a pretty good estimate of Earth’s size (about 25,000 miles around.) I like to think that long ago some really smart Native American also figured this out—I’ve even futilely looked for such evidence in petroglyphs.

Given obstructions surrounding the basin Prescott sits in, I figured there was no way I’d see Canopus from there—and didn’t even look. Then, one March night, standing at my front door and seeing a tiny light I’d never seen before just above the distant mountains, I realized I was looking due south and seeing Canopus! After the shock of this realization wore off, I got teary-eyed thinking about the special meaning this gave to the place I called home. Another celestial sight again recently moved me to tears: how incredibly dark it got in early afternoon from the location west of San Antonio from which I watched the long awaited April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse!