| 3. The sky |
 |
Air is colourless, but the
sky that we see above us always has some colour. Sunlight
appears white, although in reality it is made up of all
the colours of the spectrum. When air is clean and dry,
it reflects mainly the colour blue and absorbs the others.
When it is full of dust particles, it reflects mostly
red. When it contains water vapour and light clouds, it
turns white. So, the sky changes colour according to the
time of day, the season, the weather and the amount of
solid particles, gases or water droplets in the air.
|
[ enlarge image ] |
 |
| Thinking about possibilities. Possibilities
do not describe facts, and so it may seem strange to consider them
directly. However, they can be an aid in discovering ways of thinking
that we had not thought of before, as well as possible alternatives
to rigidly established ways of thinking and acting. |
| Which of the following questions suggest
something that is impossible (I),
something that has never happened, but could
(P), or something that has never happened
and is very unlikely to happen (U) |
| |
|
I |
P |
U |
| 1. |
Is it possible that the sun might disappear?
|
|
|
|
| 2. |
Is it possible that the sky might fall to bits? |
|
|
|
| 3. |
Is it possible that no bird could fly? |
|
|
|
| 4. |
Is it possible for a circle and a square to be
identical? |
|
|
|
| 5. |
Is it possible that there might be fire in the
sky? |
|
|
|
| 6. |
Is it possible for it to rain
and not rain? |
|
|
|
| 7. |
Is it possible
that they might invent ways of travelling
through that do not pollute? |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Music. Listen to: The Planets de
Gustav Holst. You can choose deities from the title of the piece and
read their classical myths. For example: Venus (goddess of love) or
Mars (god of war). After getting to know the dieties’ myths,
listen to the music about them: Which is Venus? Which is Mars? How
do you associate them with their music? |
|
| Visit. If you have the opportunity,
visit a planetarium |
|
| © Grup IREF 2003, with the support of the European Commission, DG XXII (Socrates/Comenius 3.2) |
[ print ] |
|
|
|
|
