Planetary Conjunctions: Alignments in the Sky
This station card content was imported from the legacy ASTR101 SP26 demos and has not yet
been fully reviewed against the current instrument UI, units, and station-mode table.
Context
This station is designed to be completed quickly. Write a prediction, follow the steps, then make a claim supported by evidence from the demo.
Predict
When Earth and a planet line up (a conjunction), will that planet stay near the Sun in our sky for long? Why or why not?
Prediction (1 sentence):
Play steps
- Advance time to find a conjunction and an opposition.
- Compare where the planet is in space to how close it appears to the Sun in the sky.
- Measure the time between two conjunctions and describe the pattern you see.
Parameter table
This demo does not yet have a custom station card, so use these prompts as a
lightweight observation scaffold.
| Observable or setting | Prediction | Observation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary control you changed | ________ | ________ |
| Most visible pattern in the visualization | ________ | ________ |
Explain
Use relative motion to explain why the time between conjunctions is different from a planet’s orbital period.
Explanation (2–3 sentences):
Claim + evidence
Claim:
Evidence (what you observed):