Lesson Plans:
The Distance to the Hyades Cluster
To find the distance to the Hyades star cluster using the convergent
point method; to recognize the uncertainties in using this method; to
summarize the significant results obtained by the Hipparchos satellite
and what these results mean for the distance scale of the Universe.
The Expanding Universe
In this exercise, you will use a two-dimensional analogy to explore
the expansion of the Universe.
Curvature of Space
In this lab we'll have a look at curvature and how we can think about
the curvature of our own universe by looking at some examples from
other "universes", first, and then how we might apply that knowledge
to our own.
Particle Soup:Nucleosynthesis
The student explores how helium was made in the Big Bang.
Jewels of the
Night
The Jewels of the Night is a hands-on, teacher-tested activity for
middle school and older students. Students measure the color and
brightness of stars in the Jewelbox Cluster from a color image. They
determine the age of the cluster by plotting their measurements in a
color-brightness diagram. The activity develops classification and
graphing skills and fosters observation, communication, and
cooperative learning skills. Students are exposed to ideas about the
nature of stars, temperature and color, stellar evolution, the time
scales of astronomical phenomena, and how astronomers can determine
the ages of objects in the universe.
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