Stars: Temperature and Color Goals and Objectives Students will be able to describe essential ideas about the composition and structure of the universe and the Earth s place in it (PASS 3.4.7.D) Students will understand that stars are masses of gas of various sizes and distances from the Earth. Students will understand that the size of a star determines its eventual death phase. Students will know how to catalog information about distant objects (stars) using graphs, charts, and spectroscopy
Standards State/Local Standards and Benchmarks: The concepts of composition, magnitude, and life cycle of stars are presented in the Philadelphia archdiocesan eighth grade guidelines. State standards, as well as national standards are far less specific. PA State Standard 3.4.7.D - Describe essential ideas about the composition and structure of the universe and the earth s place in it. PA State Standard 3.2.7.B - Apply process knowledge to make and interpret observations. Scope and Sequence: It is generally expected that I would complete the entire unit on astronomy within approximately the second half of the second trimester (six weeks). In using the textbook series (Prentice- Hall) as my basic source of information, I have always taught the chapter on the Earth and moon followed by the chapter on the solar system, followed by the chapter on stars, galaxies, and universe. I generally spend seven to ten days on stars, galaxies, and the universe.
History of Chemistry c. 100 B.C. - Hipparchus, Greek astronomer first catalog of stars by magnitude 150 - Ptolemy, Egyptian astronomer developed a way to catalog the position of stars 1609 Galileo, Italian astronomer developed a telescope that was used to observe faint stars 1718 Halley, English astronomer checked position of Hipparchus stars and found that they had moved 1780 Herschel, British astronomer studied star brightness, binary stars, and clouds of interstellar gas and dust 1838 Bessel, German astronomer measured distances to stars using parallax 1850 Bond, American astronomers took the first telescopic photograph of stars 1914 Hertzsprung-Russell, Danish and American astronomers developed diagram that illustrates the relationship between temperature and brightness
History of Chemistry Spectroscopy Light, also called visible light, is a small, but important part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum of light was observed by the ancients in the form of rainbows, and as glass became more widely used, it too refracted the sun s light into its range of colors. Astronomers can identify what kinds of things are in stars from the lines of the star s spectrum. Each element on the periodic table can appear in a gaseous form and will produce a series of bright lines unique to that element.
History of Chemistry Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (Developed @ 1910 by Hertzsprung and Russell separately as a way to compare the luminosity and temperature of stars)
Classroom Activities Parallax Stand facing a wall, at least an arm s length away. Stretch your arm out with your thumb up and your fingers curled. Close your right eye and look at your thumb with your left eye (line your thumb up with something on the wall). Now close your left eye and open your right eye. How does your thumb appear to move along the wall? Bring your thumb closer to your eye, about half the distance as before and repeat. Diffraction Gratings After the introduction of what prisms and diffraction gratings are, allow students to examine light using diffraction gratings. If possible examine fluorescent light, incandescent light and natural light. Ask students to reflect upon the differences in the spectra and the reasons why these differences might be evident.
Assessment Jewels of the Night Students should be aware of: a) stellar distances b) stellar color and how it relates to temperature c) the relationship between stellar brightness and distance Allow students to explore other galaxies and complete another analysis
Websites of Classroom Activities http://amazingspace.stsci.edu/eds/overviews/e xplorations/slsb.php.p http://www.noao.edu/education/j ewels/home.html http://www.creativechemistry.org.uk/activities/flam etests.htm
School Ethnography St. Timothy School Catholic parish school Mayfair, Philadelphia 850 Students from P to 8