Using an astronomical umbrella to understand the night sky

Our new ELI today:  'Demonstrate the apparent rotation of the sky with an astronomical umbrella; using a simple model to show the difference in the appearance of the night sky seen from Earth or from space'.

The simulation of the Earth’s rotation with a globe and the astronomical umbrella allows the students to see the same phenomenon from different points of view and facilitates the description of the apparent motion of the night sky.

This is our first ELI in the 'Astronomy' category of 'Earth in Space'. It was sent to us by a friend and colleague and supporter of Earthlearningideas. We hope it may be the first of a series? Remember to send us your innovative teaching ideas for whatever age group.