In this activity, students will use a simulator of an orbiting X-ray observatory to observe a supernova remnant, the expanding gas from an exploded star. They will take X-ray spectral data, analyze them, and answer questions based on that data. This... (View More) resource consists of a manual and software for the Introductory Astronomy Lab Exercise, from CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiments in Astronomy). The manual includes introductory activities for students, background information, an instructor's guide, a student handout, an answer key, a software user's guide, and a glossary. The student section of the activity starts on page 13. See Related & Supplemental Resources for a link to download the software. Note: the software is only available for Windows. (View Less)

This interactive, online activity introduces the idea that everything emits electromagnetic radiation, including students. Students discover how the light emitted from an object (a robot) changes as the object is heated. A graph shows the amount of... (View More) light the robot emits in each wavelength region as the robot reaches higher temperatures. Students are challenged to relate the peak of the emitted light from the robot to the color it appears, thus connecting the temperature of an object with the color of light it emits. Students apply this information by plotting the peak wavelengths of four stars of their choice, and then determine the temperature of each. Upon completion of this activity, students will have identified peak wavelengths from graphical data and applied this concept to determine the relationship between temperature and star color. Students may complete this activity independently or in small groups. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "Star Light, Star Bright" that focuses on the electromagnetic spectrum and that is available on the Amazing Space website. (View Less)

In this assessment activity, students generate a data sample from either the Hubble Deep Field-North or Hubble Deep Field-South images, and compare the sample to data from the unselected field. This provides students with a real-life example of how... (View More) statistics can be used by scientists. After completing this activity students will be able to compare sample data with the population parameter to determine accuracy of sampling techniques and use statistical data to make conjectures about the universe. This interactive online activity is part of the online exploration “Galaxy Hunter”. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title pages of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. (View Less)

In this interactive, online activity, students view an image of an "oddball" object from the Hubble Deep Field image that has been difficult for astronomers to classify. Students make their own interpretations of the object based upon knowledge... (View More) acquired from the other three sections of the online exploration "The Hubble Deep Field Academy." Lastly, an astronomer's interpretation is presented for students to compare their answers to. Students can work through the activity independently or in groups. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. (View Less)

In this interactive, online activity, students estimate the distances of objects in the Hubble Deep Field from Earth using the relationship between size, brightness, and distance. Students can complete this activity independently or in small groups.... (View More) Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the activity title page, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "The Hubble Deep Field Academy" that is available on the Amazing Space website. (View Less)

In this interactive, online activity, students practice estimation skills as they begin to explore the Hubble Deep Field image. Students first give a rough estimate of the number of objects in the image. They then use representative sampling... (View More) techniques to improve upon their original estimates. Finally, they use their estimates to calculate the number of galaxies in the universe. Students can work through the activity independently or in groups. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "The Hubble Deep Field Academy" that is available on the Amazing Space website. (View Less)

This interactive, online activity allows students to examine the Hubble Deep Field image and simulate the process astronomers have gone through to classify the objects in it. Students classify select objects in the image based on observable... (View More) properties such as color and shape. Students then compare their classifications to those made by astronomers. Upon completion of this activity, students will have classified objects in the Hubble Deep Field, described their characteristics, and used a table to display their data. Students can work through the activity independently or in groups. Teachers also may choose to have students prepare oral reports based on what they learned after performing the activity. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "The Hubble Deep Field Academy" that is available on the Amazing Space website. (View Less)