How Satellites See

Grade Levels: 3rd - 8th
Time Requirements:
- Approximately 2 hours Preparation Time and six 45-min periods Class Time
Student Prerequisites: Some understanding of the spectrum, using thermometers, different types of light sources and simple geographical and Earth/Sun/Moon System and artificial satellite concepts
Topics Covered by This Lesson:
- Astronomy/Space Science: electromagnetic spectrum; NASA satellites
- Physics: electromagnetic spectrum

Brief Overview: This project will compare and contrast three NASA satellites: The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The lesson includes access to data and images from these three NASA astronomy satellites, contrasting the way the sky appears in three very different electromagnetic wavelengths or colors of light. Other satellite information is included, but the project's focus is a simple introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum as used by the three space observatories.

Unit Features:
1. Maps of Earth at Different Projections and Maps of the EUVE Sky at Different Projections (149407 bytes)
2. The Visible Sky (161130 bytes)
3. The Great Observatories (148897 bytes)
4. COBE Spacecraft (159028 bytes)
5. EUVE Spacecraft (215066 bytes)
6. The Electromagnetic Spectrum (166704 bytes)
7. Extreme Ultraviolet Image of the Sky(143043 bytes)
8. Near Infrared Image of the Sky (127796 bytes)
9. Temperature Variations in Cosmic Radiation (COBE) (133419 bytes)
10. Temperatures of the Great Observatories (169190 bytes)
11. Wavelengths of the Great Observatories (160396 bytes)
Materials Required For This Lesson:
- General Materials:
  - Electromagnetic spectrum chart
  - world globe
  - satellite models
  - slides or posters of EUVE, Hubble and COBE or IRAS (see References)
- Materials for Visible Light Lab
  - light sources (cheap flashlights are fine)
  - colored filters (red, magenta, yellow, green, cyan and blue stage gels are wonderful, but a set cut from red/blue/green colored plastic file folders for each 2 students will do)
  - diffraction grating (glasses best for younger students)
  - prisms
  - overhead projector and diffraction grating slide for larger spectrum.
- For Infrared Light lab
  - good prism or diffraction grating for creating large spectrum using sunlight
  - 3 good thermometers.
- For Ultraviolet light lab
  - Several sheets of blueprint or solarprint paper
  - 1 quart household ammonia
  - good prism or diffraction grating for creating large spectrum using sunlight.
- Seeing in a New Light: Astro-1 Teacher's Guide With Activities Teacher background materials (see References)

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Last Update: April 9,2001