Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring Astronomical Data into the Classroom Matthew Rickert Northwestern University, CIERA.

Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring

Astronomical Data into the Classroom

Matthew RickertNorthwestern University, CIERA

Take away resources:

• http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/lessonplans.html

2015 Chicago National NSTA Conference

“Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring Astronomical Data into the Classroom”

By Matthew Rickert, Northwestern University

Reach for the Stars w

ebsite with formal lesson plans in astronomy,

biology, chemistry, engineering, Earth science, math, physics, and general

science (including my Color-Magnitude-Diagram and WWT Lesson):

http://gk

12.ciera.nor

thwestern.e

du/classroom

/lessonplans

.html

WWT webpage (to use WWT go to the “Interact” tab, and either install,

or select the web client): http://ww

w.world

widetele

scope.org/

Simbad Database for fin

ding information on astronomical objects:

http://simba

d.u-strasbg.

fr/simba

d/

NASA ADS database to find astronomical papers:

http://ad

sabs.har

vard.edu

/abstrac

t_service.html

Overview

1. Intro to WWT2. Astronomy Databases

– Simbad– NASA ADS

3. Lesson: Using WWT to make H-R Diagrams

WWT

What is WorldWide Telescope (WWT)?

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

What can WWT do?

• Can view the sky in a variety of wavelengths from anywhere on Earth, at anytime

• Can view a 3-D model of the solar system and it’s parts at anytime

• Can zoom to the surface of the Earth (Google earth)

• Can view panorama images from the Moon and Mars

WWT

Getting More Info WWT

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Links to online Databases WWT

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

SIMBAD: Info. on Astronomical Objects SIMBAD

http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/

Links to Papers SIMBAD

http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/

NASA ADS: Database of Astro. Papers NASA ADS

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Using WWT to Make H-R Diagrams• In groups students are assigned a star cluster• Students use WWT to collect brightness and

color measurements for ~10 stars in the cluster

Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Using WWT to Make H-R Diagrams Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

-0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

-3

-1

1

3

5

7

9

Alpha PerseiPleiadesComa BerenicesPraesepeHyadesM67

M_(B-V)0

M_V

0

Current events- Distance to Pleiades

TITLE: A VLBI Resolution of the Pleiades Distance ControversyAuthors: Carl Melis; Mark J. Reid; Amy J. Mioduszewski; John R. Stauffer; Geoffrey C. Bower

Lesson Plan- expanded

http://aas.org/meetings/aas225

Exploring WWT Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Thank You!

Thank You!

[email protected]

2015 Chicago National NSTA Conference

“Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring Astronomical Data into the Classroom”

By Matthew Rickert, Northwestern University

Reach for the Stars w

ebsite with formal lesson plans in astronomy,

biology, chemistry, engineering, Earth science, math, physics, and general

science (including my Color-Magnitude-Diagram and WWT Lesson):

http://gk

12.ciera.nor

thwestern.e

du/classroom

/lessonplans

.html

WWT webpage (to use WWT go to the “Interact” tab, and either install,

or select the web client): http://ww

w.world

widetele

scope.org/

Simbad Database for fin

ding information on astronomical objects:

http://simba

d.u-strasbg.

fr/simba

d/

NASA ADS database to find astronomical papers:

http://ad

sabs.har

vard.edu

/abstrac

t_service.html