Use spectral knowledge to make discoveries on a distant moon. Small groups gather information from images of one of Saturn's moons. The moon orbits within the E-ring made up of mainly water ice. Using information about the composition of the Enceladus, pupils determine whether it may be adding to the material in the E-ring and how.

Concepts

saturn, moons, the atmosphere, planets, electromagnetic spectrum, ultraviolet radiation

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Research to find where similar techniques have discovered planets with atmospheres or even geysers
• Provide a mini-lesson on the Saturn system

Classroom Considerations

• Requires pupils to have knowledge of how occultation events can determine whether a planet has an atmosphere or not

Pros

• Includes a Flash interactive to use instead of slides
• Contains materials for differentiated instruction

Cons

• None