Moonsaic | The Schools' Observatory

You have probably seen the Moon in the sky but have you ever studied it in detail?

In this activity, you will complete a jigsaw of the Moon’s surface - a Moonsaic! There are several versions of the ‘Moonsaic’, all created using images taken using the Liverpool Telescope. The different images show the Moon during its phases, plus the landing sites from the Apollo missions.

Try completing 1 or 2 different puzzles and looking for any differences. What do the differences tell you about the Moon? – hint! Think about the shape of the Moon and where the light comes from.

By the end of this activity you will:

Know more about the surface and features of the Moon
Have thought about why the Moon looks different during each phase

To complete this activity you will need:

To download the Moonsaic file(s)
Access to a printer
Glue (optional) to stick the pieces together

Files or Documents

Moonsaic Apollo Landings Files

Moonsaic – Last Quarter

Moonsaic – Crescent Moon

Moonsaic – Full Moon

Moonsaic – First Quarter

Photo of school children assembling the Moonsaic

Approx Duration

15 - 30 mins

Have a go!

1. Choose 1 or 2 of the Moonsaics and download the files.

2. Print out the pieces:

Do not scale the images to fit the page; you should be printing square Moon segments
Make sure that you print the JPEG images using the same method each time; otherwise, they may end up in different sizes, which will make assembling the Moonsaic impossible
A lot of the Moon is very dark so your printer may use up a lot of ink. To minimise the use of ink, we recommend you print out to A4. However, A3 will produce a final image that is 70% larger

3. Assemble the Moonsaic:

The pieces are designed to overlap a little. This makes it easier for you to match up the images and stick them together
Match up the images. You will need to look closely at the features of the Moon, as well as the light and shadows, to create the finished picture successfully

4. Compare Moonsaics:

Compare completed jigsaws that show different phases of the Moon
Are they the same or different?
Think about the shape of the Moon and what causes its phases

If you liked this, why not try

Why Does the Moon Have Phases?

Why Makes Shadows on the Moon

Have a go!

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