Transcript Quick and Easy Activities and Demonstrations for Astronomy

Paul Natoli
Ballarat High School
Overview
A selection of ideas and tasks that can be
used with a range of students from Yr11
Astronomy/Astrophysics to primary school
classes. This session will cover ways to use
ICT as well as hands on activities. Including
ways to read stars, finding south at night,
scale solar systems, running an observing
night and more.
Why should you care who I am? My
Background
At Uni I Completed a Bachelor in Space Science, during which I purchased
my first of many apparatus for astronomy.
I Have a 8 inch celestron telescope with multiple cameras and attachments,
cameras etc.
I have often held sessions for people to partake in viewing of the night sky.
After this I got my Dip Ed and have since been teaching Math and Science at
Ballarat High School.
And most of all I love astronomy and science.
ICT
Programs that can be used in the class
Celestia
Stellarium
Worldwide Telescope
Sixty Symbols
YouTube
Hands On
• Using a telescope in the classroom
• Phases of the moon
• Pocket solar system
• Making a rainbow
• Expanding universe
Using a Telescope in the classroom
Getting students familiar with the idea, use binoculars
Get a telescope cut in half lengthways to demonstrate how the light gets to
our eye (much better and understandable than a picture)
Use a telescope in the class room or out side, to view distant objects, trees,
hills, towers etc, show that they can be used in the day also
Must make sure not to look at the sun..i would only advise to view the sun
through a telescope with a camera attached and see the photos, to much
risk to the eye of a crack in a solar filter or other little things that can go
wrong.
Phases of the moon
Multiple options
1- using a lamp or other light source, have a student sit on a swivel chair a
few m in front of the light.(have the room light off) have another student or
teacher, walk around student with a ball(the bigger the better) cutting in
front of the light. Stop at various points and get the student to describe the
look of the ball(moon). Can then is equiptment allows get students to do this
in groups.
2- Shoebox model – line a box with black paper or paint to have it dark.
Make a hole the size of a small torch in one of the small ends, and then make
three holes along each of the side of the box, and one on the other end of
the box. Use a polystyrene ball and skewer it in the centre of the box this will
be the moon. Make a cover for the holes that you can lift. Once complete
shine the torch in the end, and view the moon from the various holes.
Flick book
Pocket solar system
Scale of objects in the solar system
Paper the length of arms spread out
One end is: Kuiper belt objects
Other end: Sun
Half way is Uranus
Half way between Uranus and Kuiper belt objects Is Neptune
Half way between Uranus and Sun is Saturn
Half way between sun and Saturn is Jupiter
Half way between Jupiter and the sun is The Asteroid belt
Half way between Asteroid belt and sun is Mars
Half way between Mars and Sun is Venus
Half way between Venus and Mars is Earth
Half way between Sun and Venus is Mercury
Size of planets
This is an activity or display that shows the relative sizes of the planets using
round objects that everyone is familiar with: Balls used for various sports. It
costs under $20.00 to put together.
For this display, a basketball is chosen to represent Jupiter. A basketball is
the largest ball most people are readily familiar with. Jupiter is also the
largest planet. Objects used to represent the other planets are scaled to the
Jupiter = basketball scale. The table below gives the objects used and their
relevant measurements
These objects are within
With this method, if you wanted to make a sun, it would need to be 237cm is
diameter
10%
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EImsw-r0ddE
Make a rainbow
If you have an old over head projector, position books or paper to block all
but a narrow slit of light.
Place a diffraction grating over the lens, where the image leaves to hit the
wall(screen)(can also use a prism)
To adjust the size and position change the size of the slit.
Before turning on ask the students which order the light will appear, then
check
Once on ask students what they think will happen if a filter is put in front of
the grating, use a range of filters.
For older students, get them to determine if all the bands are the same
thickness (why/why not). Then get them to test there idea of the size of the
bands when looking through a filter.
Expanding universe
Balloon method
Draw stars on the balloon and blow it up…stars move apart…but they also
get bigger!! This does not happen
Elastic method
‘’elastic and pictures
Observing night
What to have
Set up
Times
Position
Safety
What to look for
Read Stars
Common constellations
Major stars
Time of year
Phone apps
Find south
Multiple methods
Using the southern cross
Path of the sun
Alien message
Can be used with almost anyone and use anything.
This is a task that gets people to look for patterns and use their imagination.
Simply give the students a image of dots or shaded in squares and get them
to come up with the meaning,
You can then get them to reply to the code.
Cosmic calendar
Picture an astronomer
This is a fun imaginative task, usually used for junior students. Simply get
some butcher paper around the length of the students, and in groups get
them to draw and astronomer.
These should be the only guidelines.
Don’t talk about gender, age or anything, let them tell you what an
astronomer is.
The common image is the typecast of a middle-aged, white, "nerdy" male.
Which of these people are astronomers
They all are