Level: High School (grades 9 - 12)
The lesson includes interviews with solar physicists and archeoastronomers, historic
images, modern NASA images and movies, and a sunspot research
activity. (java features)
There are three sections. Teachers may use any
combination of the following sections:
HISTORY: This section describes how and why ancient cultures
studied and revered the sun, and details how the development of
the telescope began the advent of modern
solar research. In
addition, instructions for viewing sunspots on your own (using
binoculars or a telescope) are included.
MODERN RESEARCH: This
section addresses how modern telescopes and technology permit
scientists to study the sun in new ways and in various
wavelengths. The modern picture of the sun includes its
dynamic magnetic field, the formation and nature of sunspots, the solar
activity associated with them and their effect on the earth's
environment.
ACTIVITY: Students assume the role of the scientist.
They use a Java applet to measure and graph the areas of sunspots in
white light images and active regions in x-ray images. By
comparing the two areas, students investigate if a correlation
exists between the two. Students can compare their data
with others by making their own plots, using printable student work
sheets for plotting areas vs. time or sunspot vs. x-ray areas.