The Classroom Astronomer March 2022 Digest
Explore the Universe with The WorldWide Telescope; The Sun's Daily and Orbital Motions; Astro Camp Tips with Visually Impaired Students; Countries with K-12 Astronomy, Naked Eye Messier Hunt
Cover Photo - A Tour of the WorldWide Telescope
In This Issue:
Cover Photo - A Sample Tour from the WorldWide Telescope
Welcome to the March TCA Digest, and a 37th Birthday Subscription Rate
Connections to the Sky - A Deep Dive Into The World Wide Telescope
The RAP Sheet – Research Abstracts for Practitioners
- An Outdoor Project‑Based Learning Program: Strategic Support and the Roles of Students with Visual Impairments Interested in STEM- The Gateway Science: a Review of Astronomy in the OECD School Curricula, Including China and South Africa (Redux)
Article - The Value of a Marathon (A Naked Eye Messier Hunt for March)
Astronomical Teachniques - The Sun’s Daily Motion
Sky Lessons - The Sun’s Ecliptic Motion
All the articles in this issue are shortened from the original in order to fit in this Digest.
Welcome to the March Digest Issue of The Classroom Astronomer Inbox Magazine! And it’s my 37th Year Orbiting the Sun….
It’s my birthday! I am 37 years old! On Mars! The actual equivalent date on Earth is April 4th. To celebrate, TCA’s normal subscription rate will be reduced to $37 USD for 9 Martian Sols, from March 31st until Saturday April 9th, Earth Time. This sale won’t happen again for another (Martian) year so act now! Click the button below to get this special rate, good up to and including, but not after, April 9th….
After April 9th, you’d be signing up for it here at its usual rate of $55. Holy Planitia!
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Lately it seems I always get to write these issues as storms — or tornadoes! — are about, or approaching. I can’t get under the real stars! But thanks(?) to the Internet I don’t have to. One reason: the WorldWide Telescope. I can stargaze to my heart’s content, no clouds, 24 hours a day. Of course, it isn’t real time, but then, real time doesn’t seem to be happening about now.
As an educator, though, the WWT is more than a sky program. It is a collection of images from ground-based and space telescopes, image collections you could never collect on your own, and home-made tours of the universe. You can even make your own planetarium with it.
It is also Messier Marathon time. For amateur astronomers you can all twisted up trying to get all 110 objects, but is that educational? In this issue, we propose a more reasonable Naked Eye Marathon, with extra points for some borderline objects and some NGC and other, wide-angle representative deep-sky objects.
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The Classroom Astronomer Newsletter Issue 23 Highlights
Speaking of TCA, the premium Inbox Magazine is a subscribers-only publication. Issue 23 is out April 1st (no fooling!). Here is its Table of Contents (subject to last minute changes as this is written):
Cover Photo - Astronomy Games
Welcome to Issue 23
Connections to the Sky -
- Astro Labs Resources DeLuxe
- Observing Workshops for Graduating HS Seniors and Undergraduates at Mt. Wilson
- Global Astronomy MonthThe RAP Sheet – Research Abstracts for Practitioners
- Designing Physics Board Games: a Practical Guide for Educators
- A Comparison of Short and Long Einsteinian Physics Intervention Programmes in Middle SchoolThe Galactic Times #21 Inbox Magazine Highlights
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Key website: Homepage for The Classroom Astronomer, with its index to all Inbox Magazine issues’ contents, by celestial object, educational subject area, grade level or venue, and with complete Tables of Contents: http://www.classroomastronomer.com
Thanks for subscribing!
Publisher -- Dr. Larry Krumenaker
Connection to the Sky - A Deep Dive Into the WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) collects a massive amount of data and visual materials, across not just the visible spectrum but across other parts of the spectrum and from numerous surveys, providing a comprehensive simulation of the universe seen from Earth. For the educator, the WWT Website basically boils down to four broad areas of resources.
First, there is this massive synchronized data collection that has been converted to visual, zoom-able and pan-able ‘star’ fields where you can Explore and cross-fade between more than three dozen information sources in all areas of the spectrum. Second, there are models made from space missions to bodies in the solar system that ‘take you there’, from panoramas to globes you can explore. Third, there are collections of images from space telescopes, probes and missions into space and other worlds, and telescope surveys, such as nebulae, galaxies, and such that can be used for your own purposes. Last, there are a number of Guided Tours, semi-automated shows made of images found on the site, some with simple animations, narrations, explanatory texts, music, and other items that explain or demonstrate some astronomical topic. These last have been made either by a group of WWT Ambassadors or some other educators, but you can make them, too.
Some basics: operation is very simple. With a mouse, you left-click and drag to move things, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. You can use + and - keys to do the same thing.
The Telescope Aspect
Another thing to note: despite having lots of data behind this, like the massive position data from Gaia for example, like a real telescope, you will get images—you won’t directly get data from the sources. How bright, how far, spectral types, etc., not available that way. If you want data, you have two options. First, Select View from the menu bar, then select ESASky mode, then you can get the source data, fairly raw, but you then are moving out of WWT, and that’s a whole ‘nother story. Second, if you right-click on an object, certainly on the photos of a particular object that come about when you search for it, you do get the option to get data in four places—NED (NASA Extragalactic Database—for galaxies and such), Simbad—a bibliographic database, SAO/NASA ADS—an excellent source of aggregated data, and Wikipedia, good for a basic understanding but NOT a primary research resource. It isn’t always accurage. Looking for V Hydrae, it told it was a galaxy, not a carbon star.
The default web client page seems to be The Sky, (See Cover Photo) and it is rendered using a simulation of the Digital Sky Survey (the old Palomar sky survey, colorized), with default but removable stick figure constellation markings and a daily hashline for Sun positions marking the ecliptic, the Sun front and center. But you can set any time and location of latitude and longitude and many pre-selected cities under the View choice. There are 23 total Sky data sources—under Imagery. Once you pick one, you get a bunch of image options from that source, and can cross-fade between the default and the new source, though you often have to pan and zoom to get back to your original field location and size of view. By the way that square-ish box to the left of “Look at Sky” in the lower left, and also found in View, can be used to add or subtract constellation markings, pictures, planets in the view, various coordinates, and many other features.
If you want to explore a particular place or object, click on…Search. You can input a coordinate pair — Right Ascension and Declination— or an object name. Then select the choice it finds, and it goes right to it. Then have fun seeing how each of the 23 data sets display it and its field of view—visible light, infrared, ultraviolet. See any nebulae around it, an X-ray view, whatever. You’ll see with different eyes.
From Earth to the Universe
The Sky is not the only place you can explore. Under “Look at” in the lower left are four other options: Earth, Planet, Panoramas and Solar System. All of these are highly detailed photographic images. Let’s take them one at a time.
Earth is of our home planet, starting from far out in space, and using Microsoft’s Bing maps, you can zoom in down to see your house and yard.
The Planets are every other major object in the Solar System, including the Sun and Moon and Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, and two different Pluto versions, but not the Earth.
Panoramas are mosaics mostly from images by Mars’ Spirit and Opportunity missions, with 3 from Pathfinder, two Apollo pans, and one Phoenix mission pan.
Finally, the Solar System option is a 3D charting of the planets which you can set for any time, and pan and zoom in, around, and over the planets.
These are not are real-time, or even recent images. What does the Sun look like today? Any spots? CMEs and prominences? Not found here.
Piles of Pics
As any good digital astrophotographer knows, it is easy to acquire thousands of photos through your telescope. It is no different with the WWT. Unlike with many amateurs, who just store and data-dump, here at least there are organized Collections. At the top level, there are 18 Collection folders.
Under each one of these are various numbers of subfolders. If you are looking for a source of photos for your classroom PowerPoints, look no further than here!
Guided Tours
The most educational tool on the site are the Guided Tours (see Cover Photo) and there are 13 Folders worth. Each contains these mini-movies/animations called Guided Tours, though some of the Tours can be found in more than one folder. Generally they are only a few minutes long. There are some non-astronomical Tours as well, and, of course, some Tours on how to make Tours.
At the present time, here are the Tours available for you to use; the list, of course, is subject to change:
Astronomy Tools and Sky Surveys
Anglo-Australian Observatory
Seeing the Invisible (WISE Space Observatory)
Fermi Gamma Ray Survey
Gamma Ray Surveys
Physics
Over the Rainbow (Stellar Spectra)
Solar System Objects
Venus Surface
Earth at Night
Apollo Moon Landings (3 Tours, 12-14, 15-17, general)
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars Landings
Opportunity
Phoenix
Life on Mars
Ages of Mars
Surface Features of Mars
Galileo’s New Order (Finding Jupiter’s Moons and What it Meant)
Pluto
Stars, Nebulae and Stellar Evolution/Objects
W5 Star Formation Region
Beautiful Nebulae
Ring Nebula
Eagle Nebula
An Ancient Eye Test (Mizar and Alcor)
Binary Stars
Our Lonely Sun: Stars with Stellar Companions
Naked Eye Star Clusters
The First Black Hole
V838 Light Echo
Galaxies
Seven Top Galaxies
Impact With M31
Miscellaneous
High Skies (Universe of Beautiful Objects)
Interesting Objects
First Exoplanet
Scales of the Universe
Space Elevators
You are encouraged to try to make your own Tours and the WWT Ambassadors group has a page to guide you on making Tours.However, the page is woefully out of date and inaccurate. TCA is working to get more accurate instructional materials and make some sample Tours.
The RAP Sheet – Research Abstracts for Practitioners
What’s in the scholarly astronomy education journals you can use NOW.
G. Tsinajinie, S. Kirboyun and S. Hong. (2021). An Outdoor Project‑Based Learning Program: Strategic Support and the Roles of Students with Visual Impairments Interested in STEM, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 30, pp.74–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-020-09874-0
This article caught my attention because most astronomy with the visually impaired (VI) is not done outdoors. Despite the title, this wasn’t either. Still, a few nuggets of useful information were found in it.
Astronomy was done in the evening. but it was primarily about craters and meteorites. Braille writers and tactile graphs were heavily used.
S. Salimpour, and 21 others. (2021). The Gateway Science: a Review of Astronomy in the OECD School Curricula, Including China
and South Africa, Research in Science Education, 51:975–996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-020-09922-0
The authors looked at the curricula in 37 countries in the OECD (Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development) plus China and South Africa,
One interesting stat: From their graph, I get nine countries that teach astronomy in every grade from 1 to 12 in some manner, all but two European—Sweden, Estonia, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria and Australia—-plus one Canadian province (Quebec), one of the United Kingdom countries (Scotland) and three US States. Two others teach it in all but one grade (Ireland, South Africa) and three teach astronomy in all but two (South Korea, Slovenia, and England). So if anyone is looking for a place to teach astronomy full time, or nearly so, here are your targets.
Article - The Value of a Marathon
Among some Deep Sky observers, the end of March is an annual rite of passage, when winter is over and they do a special all-nighter, the Messier Marathon, when an observer seeks to see all 110 Messier objects. You can’t do this on EVERY night of the year; some nights have Messier objects too close to the Sun to observe them. The ideal time when all are visible is that of New Moon nearest the end of March. This year you can do it around March 31st/April 1st. A couple days either way is okay.
In this TCA version of a Messier Marathon, we’re going for a strictly naked-eye Messier Marathon—since many students can’t claim to have a telescope, not even binoculars. Using the magnitudes listed in the venerable Observer’s Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, there are ten easy-to-locate with the naked eye Messiers and ten more that are more challenging, Borderline Messiers, those in the 4th or 5th magnitude range, visible in darker skies, though probably impossible in even moderately light polluted areas. Then, secondly, we’re going to add a set of NGC (New General Catalog) and Others, objects too wide for telescopes or binoculars, or just unusual, like stellar associations or star clouds, a bonus tier, if you will.
It is okay to verify, or even hunt, with binoculars—this is education, after all!—but honor system rules, you have to find it with your eyes alone, and probably sketch the view with field stars to score points.
Here is the list of Messier objects:
Starting Fast in the Northwest…
As you can see, you have to move fast at the start to catch Andromeda’s M31 galaxy and Perseus’ M34 star cluster before they set. The pace is fast but doable for the rest of the evening—they are all objects centered around Orion and the winter constellations.
Slow Down during Mid-Night
But then there is a gap, because from Cancer eastwards is the realm of the galaxies and that’s all telescopic stuff. Somewhat before dawn you have a few objects that would be classified as late spring or early summer normally, and mostly borderline visible. Get out the binocs, to check…
…then, a little later, look high in the east, or overhead if you wait longer to near the start of twilight (but not too close!) and get the really high in altitude objects near the Summer Triangle:
Racing the Dawn!
You may need to be in a field with a low eastern and southern sky. You’ll have to move at a fast pace now, as morning twilight approaches. Everything from Sagittarius westward should be up and clear by the time twilight begins, and you’ll have some planets heralding the Sun rising, quitting time. While nominally naked eye, most of these objects are really borderline and require binoculars or pristine dark skies to be seen with the unaided eye.
Your final score should be 1 Galaxy, 4 Nebulae, 4 Globular Clusters, 10 Galactic (Open Clusters) and 1 Star Cloud. You could give bonus points for the NGC/Other Objects, particularly the Association or NGC 6633. If you want to encourage staying awake, add for the North American Nebula. But at the very least, if you are only going for a half-marathon, you have to get at least 10 of the 13 possible points for all the evening objects, don’t you think?
Astronomical Teachniques: The Sun’s Daily Path
Here is a great simple animation showing the Sun’s daily path over the year, including equinox dates, for any latitude, from the University of Nebraska. https://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/sunpaths.html .
Sky Lessons: The Sun’s Ecliptic Motion
Several stars are on, or very close to, that Ecliptic path. One of the few places where that is obvious, in your mind’s eye, is in the spring sky, which is now rising in the East. Leo’s bright Regulus is perhaps the most close. The lower left star of the squarish body of the Crab is equally close on that line, as is 2nd magnitude Wasat, or perhaps more easy, Delta Geminorum, in the eastern Gemini twin, the one with a head marked by Pollux. In the other direction, bright but slightly farther away than the other stars mentioned, is bright white Spica in Virgo. Connect the ‘dots’ and you’ve marked one-fourth of the Ecliptic.