In this activity, students use a piano keyboard to model spectral lines as musical chords. It is designed to aid student understanding of spectral analysis, what the patterns mean, how elements are involved, and how this relates to stars.... (View More) Traditionally, spectral images are two dimensional, and related to text. This auditory activity allows students to "hear" differences in patterns of various elements (e.g., nickel or helium). This activity is part of the "What is Your Cosmic Connection to the Elements" information and activity booklet. The booklet includes photos, teachers notes and instructions, and a link to a color image pdf of visible light spectra that can be printed and used to do the activity. This activity requires a piano keyboard, color printout or construction paper and/or toothpicks (to mark spectral lines of elements). (View Less)

In this activity, students experience a demonstration of light scattering that explains the blue colors in the Intersetllar Medium (ISM) nebulae, and the reddening of stars viewed through the ISM. It also explains the blue appearance of the sky on... (View More) Earth and the reddish appearance of the Sun during sunsets. The demonstration is best done before or during a lesson on the ISM when light scattering is discussed. This activity is one of two supporting the scientific investigation of the ISM, and is linked to reading material, reading review questions and problems, a teacher answer sheet, and glossary. (View Less)

Traditionally, spectral images are two dimensional, and related to text. This kinesthetic activity has groups of students position themselves along a printed spectrum to make spectral patterns and model various elements. Includes photos, teachers... (View More) notes and instructions, related resources (e.g., color pdf of a visible light spectra image that can be projected onto a white board or wall to do the activity), and alternative suggestions. (View Less)

This activity introduces learners to the visible portion of electromagnetic spectrum. A visible spectrum is projected in the classroom using a diffraction grating and learners reproduce it using colored pencils. Filters are also used to block... (View More) portions of the spectrum. This activity is available on the back of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Poster which is a collaborative product of Astrophysics missions and staff comprising the Astrophysics SEPOF. The Astrophysics SEPOF is headquartered at the Space Telescope Science Institute, operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). Request a paper copy of the poster from SEPOF through the "contact us" page of Amazing Space - be sure to include your mailing address. (View Less)

This is an activity about the expansion of the Universe. Learners will use a special set of transparency and master sheets with dots representing clusters of galaxies at two different eras of the Universe's history. After aligning the transparency... (View More) and underlying page, learners then observe and measure clusters moving away from particular locations, graph their data, compute a slope and relate the slope to the age of the Universe. This is Activity H-6 as part of The Universe At Your Fingertips 2.0 curriculum, available for purchase on DVD. (View Less)

This is an activity about the expansion of the Universe. Learners will use a special set of transparency and master sheets with dots representing clusters of galaxies at two different eras of the Universe's history. After aligning the transparency... (View More) and underlying page, learners then observe and measure clusters moving away from particular locations, graph their data, compute a slope and relate the slope to the age of the Universe. This is Actividad 8.4 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase. (View Less)