Program Descriptions

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description:

While viewing the Earth from space, we propose that our planet is a unique, complex, dynamic system; where water naturally exists as a solid, liquid, and a gas; which supports an incredible diversity of life. Closer to home, we discuss the fact that energy is required by these life-forms (carbon cycle), and energy also drives the weather that supplies the water essential for life. That energy comes from an external source -- the sun. But the sun has been providing that energy for billions of years. How can it radiate so much energy for so long?

With a reminder that the sun is a star, we explore the theory of stellar formation. We ponder whether gravity could provide this energy, but realize that the collapse of the nebula would be 100 million years, maximum. Then, we explore fusion, the rate that matter is converted into energy, and the "life span" of stars. The link is made to Einstein's famous equation (energy = mass x speed of light squared), and a nuclear bomb.

We then finish the "life-cycle" of a solar mass star and the formation of carbon. Large stars can produce iron, but where do the heaviest elements come from? This leads us into the final stages of the largest stars; supernovae producing neutron stars, pulsars, and black holes. Then, a comparison is made at the other end of the size range, with Jupiter-sized planets and a red dwarf. The program ends by applying this concept to a nova cycle in a binary star system.

General Concepts

• energy from the sun drives our weather and the carbon cycle.
• the sun converts mass to energy in a process called fusion.
• stellar formation and evolution.

Connecting to the Classroom

This program works well integrated into a unit on any of the above concepts. It can be adapted to serve as an introduction to your unit, or as a summary or application of the unit. This program was designed to be integrated into a high school integrated science program, and supports the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Science.

Prerequisites

• knowledge of atomic structure
• knowledge of the carbon cycle (sun's energy into plants, plants to animals, etc.)

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• energy
• carbon cycle
• star (white dwarf, red dwarf, giant, super-giant, neutron star, pulsar, black hole)
• nebula
• fusion
• mass
• nova
• supernova

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description:

This is a live program in which the audience interacts with the planetarium instructor in order to explore the universe around us from our home perspective--planet Earth. We explore two themes: where we live, and changes that happen in the sky over time. Students will make observations of the position of the sun (and moon if up on that day) in the sky at different times of the day. We also compare today's path for the Sun to other seasons. The goal of these observations is to help them see patterns and make predictions about the apparent motion of objects in the sky. This sequence is designed to support the NGSS Performance Expectations 1-ESS1-1 and Cross Cutting Concept "Patterns". This is accompanied by a sunset sequence; fast-forwarding from day to night.

The students are then lead through an exploration of the current night sky; finding planets, constellations, and more. The typical procedure is for the planetarium instructor to give verbal hints or directions on how to find a particular feature, and as the students search, they are assisted with a pointer "in the sky". The idea is to let them practice finding these features and discover them on their own. Hint: teachers, please resist the temptation of pointing to the features while the students are searching. Depending on time, we typically find 3-5 star patterns or constellations.

As part of the exploration of the current sky, we pretend to travel out of the city to see a dark sky. There, we point out the fuzzy stripe of the Milky Way, and point out that the Earth, the Solar System, and all of the stars we see in the sky are part of the Milky Way galaxy.

If the moon is in the sky at a reasonable time for viewing in the daytime or nighttime sky, we'll talk about what the moon looks like, and how that might change over the next couple of days. But we don't go into what causes the change in phases.

We then explore the concept of day and night. We leave the Earth's surface and observe changes in our location relative to the Sun as the Earth rotates, observing changes from day to night. Then we zoom in to see your school so that they are aware of where they live in relation to larger contexts (city, state, country, planet).

And lastly, landing back on Earth, we fast-forward through the rest of the night, through sunrise, and back to daytime again.

General Concepts

• Apparent motion of objects in the sky:  the Sun and Moon appear to move across the daytime sky; the Moon, planets and stars seem to move across the nighttime sky.
• There is a pattern to the motion of the objects in our sky, and those patterns help us to make predictions of the motions of those objects.
• Path of the Sun:  the height of the Sun's path across the sky changes throughout the year -- higher in summer, lower in winter. This also affects the amount of daylight we get in each season.
• Day/night: Earth rotating (spinning)
• We can see planets with the unaided eye: Earth below our feet, and the planets look like stars in the sky (students learn how to find them).
• Observing the moon: sometimes we see the moon at night, sometimes in the day, and sometimes we can't see the moon at all; the moon doesn't always look like the same shape.
• Where we live: city, state, country, planet.

Connecting to the Classroom

Students will be able to process and recall more of the discoveries they make in the planetarium if they are introduced to some of the concepts before they come to the planetarium. Activities and discussions which raise awareness of the sky would be helpful.

After the planetarium visit, it would be helpful to discuss and review the observations the students made in the planetarium. Have your students apply their new knowledge to activities which build on those observations made in the planetarium and/or verify them in with observations in the real sky.

Activities you might consider doing in the classroom:

• Daytime observations of the sun and moon as a class. Draw pictures or record observations as a class. Compare at different times of the day. You can use our Daytime Moon Calendar to help you plan for times when the Moon would be in the sky. (see also "Follow the Sun" below)
• Modeling with light source and ball: set up a single light source in a dark room and give each student a ball with an X mark on it. Have the students make it "daytime" for the X, and then have the students make it "nighttime" for the X.
• Use webcams around the world to see where it is daytime and where it is nighttime:  Weather Underground Webcam Directory
• Use a day/night map to show where it would be daytime and where it would be nighttime (good way to check the accuracy of the webcams above):  Day and Night Map
• Ask the students to go out with a parent and make observations at night.
• Jack and Jill on the Moon (Kindergarten)
• Amazing Shadows (grade 1)
• Follow the Sun (grade 1)
• Planetary Waistlines (grade 2)

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• City, state, and country where the school is located
• Earth
• Moon
• Sun
• rotate (or spin)
• explore
• observe (observation)
• predict
• pattern
• space (beyond the Earth's atmosphere)
• constellation (patch of sky with boundaries, recognized by the star pattern: see Big Dipper and Big Bear star patterns in the Ursa Major constellation, right)
• planet names
• Solar System
• galaxy (Milky Way is ours)
• constellation names of the current sky (see SkyMaps.com for a current star chart)
• phases of the moon (new moon, crescent, first quarter, full moon, last quarter)
• names of the seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall/autumn)
• compass directions (north, south, east, west)

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description:

In the Skywatching program, we facilitate the exploration of the current sky. This show is constantly changing throughout the year to match the changing sky. This program highlights some of the interesting features of the current sky, and often includes news-worthy space science events. This program is easily adaptable to include features and concepts selected by teachers and group leaders.

The show begins with a general introduction to the planetarium in which we describe how the planetarium projector helps us to simulate the sky, and that we can set it to show us what the sky would look like on a specific date and time, and from a specific location. For most Skywatching programs, we use Madison, or the group's home as our location, and we usually start with the sky set for sometime during the current day. Then, we fast-forward through the rest of the daytime, through sunset, and into the night.

The times we set the planetarium projector to show depend on the times that the interesting features would be visible. But we try to focus on events and objects that would be observable by most people, and at reasonable viewing times. Typically, we set the sky for sometime between sunset and a typical bedtime for the audience.

Then, we guide the audience through the process of finding things like planets, constellations, and possible targets binoculars and small telescopes. This "guiding" is typically done through verbal hints or directions so that people have a chance to "find" the objects on their own, and then we point to the object to confirm its location. The idea is to give people some practice in the planetarium to find the same objects out in the real sky.

We often end the program by fast-forwarding through the rest of the night, through sunrise, and into daytime. Questions are usually welcome at this time, as well as during the program.

General Concepts Typically Covered

• apparent changes in the sky throughout the day and night (rising in the east and setting in the west).
• how to find star patterns like the Big and Little Dippers, and the constellations that they are in.
• how to find the North Star (Polaris), and why we call it the North Star (because it stays in the north all day and all night), and the fact that the North Star is NOT the brightest star in the sky.
• compass directions.
• how to find constellations and planets that are currently visible.
• the change in appearance of the sky from a city (with light pollution), to "out in the country" (out away from all of the city lights).
• observing the moon in the daytime sky.

General Concepts that can be incorporated upon request (as appropriate for age and time)

• what causes the change from day to night.
• apparent changes in the sun's path throughout the year.
• seasonal changes in constellations.
• phases of the moon (simply observing the changes for a younger audience, or working toward an explanation for an older audience).
• apparent changes in the planets over time (changing brightness, and position in the sky).
• changes in the sky as seen from various locations on the earth.
• light pollution: the problem, the causes, and solutions.
• how to use a star chart: with groups of 40 or smaller, we can give them a star chart at the beginning of the program, teach them how to use it, and give them a chance to practice finding things using the star chart during the program. This option works very well for scout groups that require this skill for a badge.
• mythology: this could be either the focus of the entire program (and we would call it Mythology instead of Skywatching) or it could be just another concept highlighted in the program.
• much more (if you have other concepts you'd like us to tie in, ask!)

Connecting to the Classroom

This program works well at the beginning of a unit on related topics, but it can also be used as a summary activity at the end. We do encourage the audience to go out and look for the things that they learned about during the program, so it would be nice to follow-up with a discussion about what they were able to find.

Activities you might consider doing before your visit:

• Have the students go out during the day and look for where the sun is in the sky, and look for the moon. Possibly go out more than one time on a sunny day and look for changes.
• Have your students go out and observe the sky on a clear night just to see what they can notice. What do they see? What questions do they have about what they see?
• Discuss compass directions (especially young students that may not be familiar with them).
• Introduce them to other vocabulary words (see below).

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• planet
• star
• north, south, east, west
• constellation
• galaxy (especially our own galaxy, the Milky Way)
• rising
• setting
• explore
• observe
• "fast-forward" (for example if you want a movie to go faster; however, used in this case to go later into the day or night)
• binoculars
• telescope
• opposite (as in "Now, look in the opposite direction."

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description: We start with a daytime sky and fast-forward through time, through sunset, to a reasonable time to explore the current night sky. As the planetarium inspires our curiosity, we talk about a commonality between the night sky and books -- they both inspire our imagination. We explore some of the nocturnal animals we might see and hear at night, and some related books. We explore a few constellations and the moon, and books that relate to each. We talk about the fact that books are not only fun but also teach us many wonderful things about the universe around us. And finally we read the book "My Place in Space", by Robin and Sally Hirst, and then use a program called Starry Night to zoom out away from the Earth to illustrate where we live.

Books Mentioned in the Program:

Note that it is not intended that you read these before your visit to the planetarium.

1. Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer; by Laura Gehl; ISBN 978-0807502969
2. The Very Quiet Cricket; by Eric Carle; ISBN 0-399-21885-8
3. Stellaluna; by Janell Cannon; ISBN 0-15-200284-7
4. North Country Night; by Daniel San Souci; ISBN 0-440-41029-0
5. While the World is Sleeping; by Pamela Duncan Edwards; ISBN 978-0-545-01756-5
6. Goodnight Moon; by Margaret Wise Brown; ISBN 0694003611
7. Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11; by Brian Floca; ISBM 978-1534440302
8. Long Night Moon; by Cynthia Rylant; ISBN 0689854269
9. My Place in Space; by Robin and Sally Hirst; ISBN 0-531-05859-X (Note: it is not recommended that you read this book as a class before your visit to the planetarium since we read this book together in the program.)

General Concepts

• day/night
• nocturnal animals
• moon
• constellations
• our place in the universe

Current Sky

The constellations and planets that are visible change over time. But we usually try to cover: any planets currently visible in the evening, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, one seasonal constellation, and the Milky Way.

Connecting to the Classroom

This program could match well with literature, nighttime, or astronomy units, and would be fine as either an introduction or wrap-up to the unit.

Activities you might consider doing in the classroom:

• Ask the students to go out at night and look for things that they can see or hear that would be different from daytime; then make a list in the classroom the next day.
• As a follow-up to the program, provide an opportunity for students to read or check out the books mentioned in the story and others that your librarian recommends. (see the book list above)
• In the program, we read the book "My Place in Space", in which Henry and Rosie explain where they live. After the program, you may want to further explore the "zoom-out" that we do at the end of the program. We've provided some graphics on the Zoom Out page to help you explore this concept further with your students.

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• stars
• planets
• nocturnal
• galaxy
• solar system
• sunset
• constellation
• universe
• moon phases

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description: This is the first of two programs which are designed to introduce and wrap-up your moon observation unit. Use Moonwatch 1 before your students start observing the moon. Moonwatch 1 teaches the students how to observe the moon, raises questions about when and where we will be able to see the moon and what it will look like, and introduces the students to observing the moon with telescopes and traveling to the moon (Apollo program). The ideal situation would be to include both programs (Moonwatch 1 and 2) in your unit.

General Concepts

• There are many interesting things that we can see in the sky. (sun, moon, planets, clouds, airplanes, etc.)
• The sun is a star.
• The moon is round like a ball and made of rock.
• We can learn about the moon by observing it, and we can learn more about the moon by making many observations and recording our observations.
• The sun, moon, stars, and planets seem to move across our sky throughout the day and night.
• You can use the dark spots on the moon (maria) to imagine Jack and Jill.
• We can use a telescope to help us to see the moon as if it were closer to us.
• Some of the features on the moon that we can see with a telescope include maria, highlands, and craters.
• Humans have traveled to the moon to explore and learn more about it.
• Other nighttime sky concepts are addressed as time allows, including how to find constellations and planets in the current sky.

Connecting to the Classroom

This program should be utilized before you start your unit on observing the moon. This program relates directly to Part 3 of the FOSS Investigation #4 (Looking for Change) in Air and Weather.

Activities you might consider doing in the classroom :

• Part 3 of the FOSS Investigation #4 (Looking for Change) in Air and Weather. Consider modeling/practicing the nighttime observations by doing them during the day when the moon is visible. Check our Daytime Moon Calendar for days when this would be possible. See also Observing the Moon.
• Do part of the Jack and Jill on the Moon activity: (this is a Kindergarten activity, but is suitable for first and second grade) This activity helps the students to imagine Jack and Jill on the moon in order to familiarize the students with the dark features (maria) on the moon. Consider doing (or reviewing if some of your students have already done this) this activity only up through the point where they draw Jack and Jill and stop reading in the Story Book before you get to how the nursery rhyme shows the order of the phases. Let them observe to discover the pattern in the phases first.
• Launching to the Moon Paper Activities:  NASA has produced a set of fun worksheets to support the new spacecraft being designed to take astronauts to the moon.
  Launching to the Moon Activity Sheets
  Moon Information - facts, activities, images, lesson plans
  What is Orion? - good web page with photos, information, and links to more resources

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• predict
• observe (observations)
• binoculars
• telescope
• maria (dark spots on the moon; low, flat areas; old craters that were filled with lava long ago)
• highlands (light-colored areas on the moon; higher, hilly areas on the moon)
• crater (a bowl-shaped low area created by a space rock smashing into the surface)
• pattern

Expanded Description:

Cosmic Colors will take you on a wondrous journey across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.  Discover the many reasons for color—like why the sky is blue and why Mars is red.  Take a tour within a plant leaf and journey inside the human eye.  Investigate x-rays by voyaging to a monstrous black hole and then back at your doctor’s office.  You will even see the actual color of a dinosaur--based on recent evidence.  Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light! The image on the right includes visuals from the show (click the image for a larger image).

We start in the daytime sky, fast-forward through sunset to the nighttime sky, and give a brief orientation to objects in the current night sky. We point out that everything we are seeing is because of the light that we are receiving from these distant objects. And the same is true for the things we see in our everyday life. This provides a good introduction to the 32-minute pre-recorded fulldome show, in which we explore different types of light along the electromagnetic spectrum.

Student Activities:

NASA - Space-Based Astronomy Educator Guide

The units of study in this guide include hands-on science activities about the electromagnetic spectrum.
Resource Type: Classroom Activity, Lesson Plan, Educator Guide Grade Level: 5-8

Individual Sections:

• Introductory Pages
• A Brief History of the United States Astronomy Spacecraft and Crewed Space Flights
• Unit 1: The Atmospheric Filter
• Unit 2: The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Unit 3: Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation
• Unit 4: Down to Earth
• Unit 5: Space-Based Astronomy on the Internet
• Additional Resources

NASA - Electromagnetic Math

Electromagnetic Math is a huge collection of activities designed to supplement teaching about electromagnetism. Students explore the simple mathematics behind light and other forms of electromagnetic energy including the properties of waves, wavelength, frequency, the Doppler shift, and the various ways that astronomers image the universe across the electromagnetic spectrum to learn more about the properties of matter and its movement.
Resource Type: Classroom Activity, Lesson Plan, Educator Guide, Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12

Five Stars Afterschool Curriculum: Using Light as a Tool to Understand the Electromagnetic Spectrum

This afterschool curriculum includes six lessons plus supplementary materials (e.g., videos, PowerPoint presentations, and images) that explore how light from the electromagnetic spectrum is used as a tool for learning about the Sun. The curriculum is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of afterschool programs and includes recommendations for partial implementation based on time constraints. It was specifically designed to engage girls in science.
Resource Type: Classroom Activity, Lesson Plan, Educator Guide, Grade Level: 5-8

• Lesson #1: Solar Cookie
• Lesson #2: Exploring the EM Spectrum 
• Lesson #3: Rainbows of Light: the Visible Light Spectrum
• Lesson #4: Invisible Light: Ultraviolet
• Lesson #5: Detecting Invisible Light
• Lesson #6: Our 3D Sun

Interactions of Energy and Matter: Dawn Instrumentation

Become a crime scene investigator! Learners model Dawn Mission scientists, engineers, and technologists and how they use instrumentation to detect distant worlds.
Resource Type: Classroom Activity, Lesson Plan, Educator Guide, Grade Level: 8-adult

Project Spectra!

“Project Spectra!” is a science and engineering program for 6th – 12th grade students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System. “Project Spectra!” emphasizes hands-on activities, like building a spectrograph, as well as the use of real data to solve scientific questions. (NASA approved and funded)
Resource Type: Classroom Activity, Lesson Plan, Educator Guide, Grade Level: 6-12

• Patterns and Fingerprints
• Graphing the Rainbow
• Using Spectral Data to Explore Saturn & Titan
• Goldilocks and the Three Planets
• Building a Fancy Spectrograph
• Using a Fancy Spectrograph
• A Spectral Mystery
• Designing an Open Spectrograph
• Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
• Marvelous Martian Mineralogy
• Star Light, Star Bright? Finding Remote Atmospheres
• Solving a Mixed Up Problem
• Enceladus, I Barely Knew You
• Planet Designer: What’s Trending Hot?
• Planet Designer: Kelvin Climb
• Planet Designer: Martian Makeover
• Planet Designer: Retro Planet Red

Outline of concepts to be presented

Expanded description: In this lab, students chart the changing path of the sun as they explore the "reasons for the seasons." Each student creates a graph showing the path of the sun across the planetarium sky and the duration of daylight on both equinoxes and solstices. If you make this graph in the classroom, more time can be devoted to making observations and comparing locations. Modeling demonstrations are used to show why the changes in the sun's path occur. The main goals in the lab are to destroy the distance misconception (tactfully), and to help make a connection between the height of the sun in the sky, and the season.

Sequence

• Observe the sun's apparent path across the sky for all four seasons here in Madison (recording on graph?). The students are looking for patterns and making predictions while they are making the observations. The are also noting the differences in the length of day throughout the year. The order of the seasons we generally follow is: Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Vernal (spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice.
• Summarize the observations for Madison.
• As time allows, reset the planetarium projector for Christ Church, New Zealand, and Prudoe Bay, Alaska. Observe a "Summer Solstice" day in these locations. Discuss.
• Use a Sun-Earth model to discuss the fact that the hemispheres have opposite seasons. Apply this concept to the distance misconception; and include the fact that the Earth is closest to the Sun in January, and that the variation in distance is only about 3%.
• Use a Sun-Earth model to show how the tilt of the Earth's axis causes the changes they've seen in the height of the sun and length of the day.

General Concepts

• Altitude and Azimuth: a way of describing positions in our local sky.
• Changes in length of day throughout the year.
• Changes in the sun's apparent path across the sky throughout the year.
• The tilt of the Earth's axis as it relates to the cause of seasonal change.

Connecting to the Classroom

The seasons lab works well as an introduction to learning the causes of seasonal change. Some things can be done before and/or after your visit to maximize the time in the planetarium. However, no teaching of the causes of the seasons is required or even recommended before this lab.

Pre-Visit Activities you might consider doing in the classroom :

• If you only had one day to prepare before your visit:
  Some of the vocabulary that we use in the lab would be helpful to cover ahead of time. (See vocabulary list below.) It would be especially helpful for the students to know what equinox and solstice means, and approximate dates for the beginning of each season.
• Observe the sun's position in the sky:
  Although most middle school students to adults could "tell" you that the sun is not always in the same place in the sky throughout the day, many people have never really made intentional observations of this for themselves. It is recommended that the students go out at the beginning, middle, and of the day and observe the sun's position in the sky. Safety note: never look directly at the sun! You can make these observations by placing your hand over the sun in the sky. If possible, make these observations on more than one day in a week. The ideal situation would be for students to repeat these observations in more than one season. If you do this, the students should record their observations.
• Discuss seasonal temperature changes:
  From a geography point of view, discuss seasonal variations in temperatures here in Wisconsin, and compare to other locations on the Earth. World Climate
• Record the Sun's apparent path on a grid:
  To save time in the planetarium (which can then be devoted to making more observations and exploring the Sun-Earth connections), some teachers choose to record the sun's path during each season in the classroom or computer lab. This is done by plotting the sun's rising point (altitude and azimuth), noon position, and setting point: then connecting with a smooth curve and labeling the line. Do this for the Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Vernal (spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice. Completion of this grid could be done before, during, or after your visit. Some teachers choose to have their students access this information through planetarium-like programs such as Voyager, TheSky, or Starry Night Pro in their computer lab. This data can also be obtained at: US Naval Observatory

Post-Visit Activities you might consider doing in the classroom :

• Show the connection between sun angle and heating
  Use a flashlight to shine light on a light-colored table or other horizontal surface in a dark room to show how the angle of the light source effects heating. The flashlight represents the sun, and the table represents the surface of the Earth. Tie a string around a flashlight to maintain a constant distance between the light source and the table. Vary the angle of the "sun" to show how the light as seen on the table varies in intensity. When the "sun" is at a low angle, the light on the table seems less intense (less bright) and students will notice that it is spread out over a larger area. Apply this concept to the height of the sun during the different seasons.
• Record the Sun's apparent path on a grid:
  To save time in the planetarium (which can then be devoted to making more observations and exploring the Sun-Earth connections), some teachers choose to record the sun's path during each season in the classroom or computer lab. This is done by plotting the sun's rising point (altitude and azimuth), noon position, and setting point: then connecting with a smooth curve and labeling the line. Do this for the Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Vernal (spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice. Completion of this grid could be done before, during, or after your visit. Some teachers choose to have their students access this information through planetarium-like programs such as Voyager, TheSky, or Starry Night Pro in their computer lab. This data can also be obtained at: US Naval Observatory
• Discuss the connection between day length and heating.
• Discuss what "seasons" on the Earth would be like if the Earth was not tilted, or if it was tilted at a greater angle.

Vocabulary: some of the words the students will likely encounter

• altitude
• azimuth
• latitude
• meridian (possibly)
• hemisphere
• orbit
• axis
• solstice
• equinox