Educational Activities with the Faulkes Telescopes

Dr Sarah Roberts

Ft • FT Project began in 2001 with funding from Dill Faulkes

Why?• Inspirational projects in maths, science and ICT• Address failing interest in these areas

• In 2005, FT project was taken over by LCOGTN as part of Wayne Rosing’s project to build a global network of robotic telescopes

• Now known as FT project in the UK and Ireland, and LCOGTN elsewhere in the world

• Projects in UK, Russia, Poland and Portugal…..

Project History

UK EducationFT/LCOGTN Initiatives:

• Projects and Activities• Twinning schools in UK/US• Themed Observing Days• Portals - FANG and asteroids• Teacher Training• Online Training• School-based Support Centres

In schools:

• After-school Astronomy clubs• GCSE Astronomy groups• School workshops - Arts/Science week

Projects and Activities• Introductory Activities

• Using the software• Planning an observing session• Simple imaging

• Worksheets• Measuring impact craters in Google Earth/Mars• Earth and Beyond• Light and Optics

• Projects & Observing Programmes• Asteroids• Astronomical Imaging• Galaxies• Supernovae• Themed Observing

Themed Observing Days

Collaborative projects for a number of schools through the day

Projects include:

•Mosaic of M101

•Lifecycle of Stars poster

•Asteroid Rotation

Mosaic of M101

•11 schools from UK, Russia and Poland each given 3 areas of galaxy to observe

•Schools could make mini-mosaic, larger mosaic completed at end of night

• 10 schools from UK and Poland were given specific objects to observe which showed stars at different stages of their lives

• Schools could process their own images, as well as have their images on the final poster

Lifecycle of Stars

Asteroid Rotation

• 10 schools from UK plus Hawaiian users observed 2 asteroids in one night

• Magnitude of asteroids were measured with Astrometrica and light curves produced

• FANG (Faulkes Atlas of Nearby Galaxies)

• Asteroids

Portals

Focus Group and School-based Support Centres

•Focus Group – group of teachers who give us advice on resources etc.

•Involved in Support Centre network

•Support Centres will work at a local, national and international level to help build a community of educators and observers

•11 schools have asked to be support centres

•1 fully trained and supporting users•4 currently undergoing training

Online Training

• Courses currently online: • Introductory Courses• Astronomical Imaging

• Coming soon….• Asteroids• Lifecycle of Stars

British Council Projects•13 schools and education centres across the country

•SN follow-up program

FT/LCOGTN in Poland

• 24 schools in 5 regions

5

65

4 4

FT/LCOGTN in Russia

Ekaterinburg

• Approx. 120 school students and 30 university students participated in project.

• Imaging open clusters and star forming regions previously imaged in IR

• Successfully applied for time on 6-metre telescope for further observations

Moscow

• Extra-curricular study groups at the Astronomy Dept. of Moscow City Palace of Children and Youth Creativity

• Observed PNe in collaboration with other Moscow schools

• Presented work at:• Qualification Improvement courses for Physics &

Astronomy teachers• Children’s Conference• Moscow Region Astronomy Teacher’s seminar

Samara• 4 schools• Main aim - make and process observations of spiral

and interacting galaxies• 34 school students in total were involved• Presented results at a number of conferences• 1st and 2nd prizes given to students involved in the

project at Samara Region Scientific Conference of Astronomy Students

St Petersburg• Educational Objectives:

• Motivate study of Astronomy and Sciences• Cross-curricular links (e.g. English language)• Hands-on skills from Astronomy lessons• Get students acquainted with research methods

used in modern science

• Looked for double asteroids and double trans-neptune objects

• Carried out observations at Pulkovo Observatory due to school internet connection not working

• Students from 6th and 11th forms took part

FT/LCOGTN in Portugal• Hunting for open clusters around O stars• Developed in a Portugese High School together with

NUCLIO and mentored by a professional astronomer • Students conduct the project in class-time• From a list of known O stars, students chose open

clusters which would be suitable to observe before observing them with FTN

Number of Users• In the UK we have:

• Approx. 585 schools registered, 40 in Ireland

• Overseas we have:• Poland – 13 schools and education centres• Russia – 24 schools• Portugal – 4/5 schools

Now registering users for archive accounts – no telescope time, but access to data archive

www.faulkes-telescope.com