Four fabulous activities immerse amateur astronomers into measuring objects that we cannot handle. The experiences are applied to NASA's Space Interferometry Mission, which will take measurements of planets around stars other than our...

Students explore the idea of parallax. In this astronomy instructional activity, students study the distances of stars. They investigate how parallax can be used to determine these distances.

Students develop two units of measurement to relate to the astronomical unit and the light year. In this astronomy activity, students use a Twizzler to develop a measurement unit similar to the astronomical unit. They use a moving...

High schoolers measure distances using parallax. In this math lesson, students explain how this method helped astronomers with their studies of the solar system. They determine the length of their arm using parallax and compare it with...

Students discover the vocabulary used for distances in space and review measurement units and instruments before creating a scale model of the planets. They determine how to calculate the relative distances between the planets using a...

Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires...

Very specific diameters are given for blowing up three different balloons to represent, in scale, the moon, Earth, and Mars. In groups of three, amateur astronomers explore scale measurements and distance in space.

Students investigate various common terms of measurement, sort them into categories, select the uncommon terms, and construct conversion tables for both the common and the uncommon terms of measurement.

Students create a scaled solar system model using colorful beads. In this space science lesson, students convert AU units into metric measurements. They arrange the planets according to their distances from the sun.

The Milky Way gets great reviews on Trip Advisor — 100 million stars. The activity allows scholars to rethink their assumptions and prior knowledge. Pupils observe a set of two lights at equal distance and brightness, but they believe...

Does the space shuttle have an odometer? Maybe, but all that is needed to determine the distance to the moon is a little geometry! The lesson asks scholars to sketch the relationship of the Earth and moon using shadows of an eclipse....

Ninth graders produce a projected, pinhole image of the sun and from measurement of the image and projection distance, calculate the actual size of the sun. They estimate the sun's apparent brightness from different planet.

Students explore physics by completing measurement problems in class. In this speed of light lesson, students discuss the importance of knowing the speed of light and how it affects many aspects of human life on Earth. Students identify...

Students practice measuring elevation, one of the key coordinates used by astronomers. They describe how the elevation of an object is measured. and combine compass directions and elevation to find celestial objects.

Students project and measure the suns image using a refracting telescope.  In this sun's diameter lesson plan students calculate the magnification of the telescope and determine the diameter if the Sun. 

Students work with a real optical spectrum of a gamma ray burst afterglow taken at the Keck Observatory. They measure the shifts of spectral lines, deduce the velocity of the astronomical object, and then use Hubble's Law to get its...

Middle schoolers explore the different types of measurements used in astronomy. In this space science lesson, students explain the relationship between planets' orbits and distance from the sun using Kepler's Laws. They discuss how math...

Sixth graders complete a WebQuest to study the names and locations of the planets in the solar system. They investigate the causes of the seasons and the distance between the planets using astronomical units. They use technology to...

Pupils examine how astronomers use parallax to determine the distances of stars in the Sun's neighborhood. They construct a pinhole protractor, and measure angles and calculate distances.

Students explore the concept of gamma ray bursts. They examine basic physics concepts about light, measure the shifts of spectral lines, and utilize Hubble's Law to deduce the velocity of an astronomical object.

High schoolers examine and explain how the distance to nearby stars can be measured by the parallax method, discuss the role of women in the history of American astronomy, form their own opinions of the importance of Harlow Shapley and...

Students experiment with measuring the speed of sound in an open field by clapping hands and measuring the time delay between the clap and hearing the sound at a long distance. Students practice solving equations at completion of activity.

Students discover how astronomers used the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the Sun as a baseline for estimating the distance of some stars, and the meaning of "Parsec" and "light year."

What does math have to do with the behavior of the earth and sun? Learn how the movement of celestial bodies has influenced the development of trigonometry. Scholars connects the details in mathematics to their...