Curated OER
Orbital Motion
Students use a formula to measure the eccentricity of an ellipse, then state Kepler's Law of Elliptical Orbits. They predict the solar energy received at different positions in a planet's orbit.
Curated OER
Precession
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
Curated OER
The Changing Atmosphere of Pluto
In this atmosphere of Pluto instructional activity, students use an equation for the orbit of Pluto to determine the semi-major axis, the semi-minor axis, the ellipticity of the orbit, the aphelion and the perihelion. They also determine...
Curated OER
Seasonal CEENBoT
Students simulate the Earth's revolution around the sun using CEENBoT. In this earth science lesson students calculate the Earth's distance in AU and it's speed of revolution. They explain how the Earth's movement cause seasonal variation.