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• 100 welsh primary schools• 100 Universe in a Box toolkits• 40+ enquiry-based classroom
activities• 0.4-m robotic telescope • STEM training for primary school
teachers• STARS role model scheme• 60,000 primary school students in
10 years
Universe in the Classroom
• Astronomy education toolkit• Ages 4-11• 40 enquiry-based activities• Five modules:
1. Earth, 2. Moon, 3. Sun,4. Solar System, 5. Constellations
• Linked to National Curriculum: – Science, Maths, English, Geography, History,
Art
Universe in a Box
What’s in the Box?
STARS
• Stellar Role Models• BSc, MSc, PhD • Diverse group: gender, language,
ethnicity, background• Trained in communication, education
and presentation skills
…Science is for everyone!
Welcome
Module 1:The Moon
MOONTHE
- Accessible Celestial Body- Visible daily to naked eye- Spherical object like Earth
- Diameter - 3560 km- Temperature - -160º to 120º C- Gravity- 83% weaker than
Earth
- Manned lunar missions
~Australia
- ‘Seas’- No atmosphere
Distance
384 000
Kilometers
Moonto the
DistanceMoonto the
‘actual’
30 Earths in a row
Activity 1.8: Lunar Phases
in Action
22
“FIRST quarter”
“FULL Moon” “LASTquarter”
Lunar Cycle
Phases Moon
of the
Activity 1.5: Reflecting Moon
Activity 1.6 Lunar Phases Visualised
“New Moon”
“First Quarter”
“Full Moon”
“Last Quarter”
Daytime
Evening
Night
Morning
“Full Moon”
efore fter
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon travels into Earth's shadow
During the new moon phase, the Moon cannot be seen because it is in Earth's shadow
We only ever see one side of the Moon because it does not rotate
Between new moon and half moon the Moon is visible mostly during the day
On the same night, different phases of the moon can be seen from different parts of the world
The Moon's gravitational pull causes the tides on Earth
True or False?
How can we see the full moon?
How can we see the full moon?
Module 2:Earth
EarthTHE
Diameter12 742 km
GravityFocused near the centre
BordersPolitical borders can’t be seen from space
ShapeSpherical, no top or bottom
Rotation23 hours 56 mins
Orbit365.24 days
What makes this special?
34
Water
Energy
Atmosphere
Gravity
- Regulate temperature- Allows us to breathe- Blankets from harmful radiation
- 70% surface is water- Ideal distance from the Sun
- Weaker: We’d float away- Stronger: We’d be crushed- Food
- Oxygen- Sunlight
Activity 2.4: Day & Night
Activity 2.2: Up and Down
Earth’s axis is at an angle of 23.4%
Common Misconception: Earth-Sun distance variesBut…why then, is it summer in the Southern Hemisphere when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere?
Seasons
Winter
Summer
The Sun’s rays are spread over a larger area: lower intensity
Seasons
Winter
Summer
Summer
Winter
Seasons
Activity 2.5: Seasons
Winter
Summer
Summer
Winter
Seasons
Because of the tilt of Earth's axis, Wales is closer to the Sun in summer than in winter
The sun rises exactly in the East and sets exactly in the West each day
The amount of daylight increases each day throughout the summer
True or False?Summer occurs when the Earth is closer to the Sun
During winter the sun is lower on the horizonCountries along the equator experience much smaller variations in temperature than countries closer to the poles
Module 3: The Sun
The Sun Star:
Gigantic burning ball of plasma
Energy from Nuclear Fusion Spherical shape due to
balance of gravity and energy created at core
99.9% of all the mass in our Solar System
Diameter 1 392 000
kmWeight~2 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
000 kgTemperature5500ºC | 15 700 000ºC
Age~4 570 000 000 years
Centre of our Solar System
109 Earths or 400 Moons!
46*(object comparison to scale)
Diameter = 109 EarthsArea > million Earths
SunTHE
A r t
D r a w f e a t u r e s o f t h e S u n ;
s u n s p o t s , g r a n u l a t i o n ,
p r o t u b e r a n c e s
M a t h s
D i a m e t e r o f t h e S u n =
1 0 9 E a r t h s o r 4 0 0 M o o n s
E n g l i s h / W e l s h a n d C u l t u r e
T h e S u n w a s w o r h s h i p p e d a s a d i e t y i n m a n y
c o u n t r i e s . L o o k u p a n d
m a k e u p s t o r i e s a b o u t t h e S u n .
G e o g r a p h yT h e S u n i s
e s s e n t i a l t o a l l l i f e o n E a r h , H o w d o e s t h e S u n a ff e c t t h e e n v i r o n m e n t s
o n E a r t h ?
Sun-Moon-Earth System
Solar Eclipse
From Earth From Space (ISS)
Solar Eclipse
Activity 2.6: Solar Eclipse
Lunar Eclipse
Activity 2.7: Lunar Eclipse
Andersom kan ook...
Lunar Eclipse
???
??
(Umbra)
Earth’s shadow
“Why does the Moon turn red during a Lunar Eclipse?”
Why doesn’t the Moon turn black?
(Penumbra)
“Why does the Moon turn red during a Lunar Eclipse?”
WHAT are we seeing?
WHICH factors/ elements play a role?
The Moon darkened and turned red
The Sun, the Moon, the Earth and Earth’s shadow
WHAT do we know about these factors/ elements?The Sun is acting as a backlight; the Moon is in
Earth’s shadow; the Earth has an atmosphere
“Why does the horizon turn red at sunset?
“Why is the sky blue during the day?”
WHAT are we seeing?
WHICH factors/ elements play a role?
Blue light from all directions
“Why is the sky blue during the day?”
Sunlight; Earth’s atmosphere; our eyes
Sunlight consists of all the colours of the rainbow
WHAT do we know about these factors/ elements?
“Why is the sky blue during the day?”
Earth’s atmosphere contains many different gases, including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.
WHAT do we know about these factors/ elements?
“Why is the sky blue during the day?”
Earth’s atmosphere
The sun's rays are scattered by the air and dust particles in the atmosphere
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
N2
Blue sunlight
Red sunlight
“Why is the sky blue during the day?”
Blue light is scattered in all directions, making the entire sky look blue!
67
- Sun is lower in the sky- Sun’s rays must travel through the atmosphere for longer.- All colours except for red are scattered during the light’s travels- Only the red light remains, making the sky appear red.
“Why does the horizon turn red at sunset?
Earth’s atmosphere
Why does the Moon turn red during a Lunar Eclipse?”
Total Lunar Eclipse 28th Sept 2015
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon travels into Earth's shadow
During the new moon phase, the Moon cannot be seen because it is in Earth's shadow
We only ever see one side of the Moon because it does not rotate
Between new moon and half moon the Moon is visible mostly during the day
On the same night, different phases of the moon can be seen from different parts of the world
The Moon's gravitational pull causes the tides on Earth
True or False?
Module 5: Constellations
ConstellationsFor centuries the constellations have been the subject of many stories and myths from around the world and played an important role:
- Religion - Spirituality - Navigation
The Stories of Constellations
United Kingdom
Scorpio
Amazon
Water Snake
Venezuela
Baby Sling
Do you know any constellations?
The Twins
Geminids- Peak: 13th December- 25+ per hour
Celestial SpherePolaris
Constellations of the Zodiac Polaris
Finding the North StarLike the Sun, the stars also appear to move across the night skyExcept the North Star, Polaris
- Stays in line with the Earth's axis
- Always at the North Pole
Activity 5.1: Visibility of Constellations
Activity 5.2: The Zodiac and Planetary Movements
Polaris
Do the stars in a constellation have anything to do with one another?
Do the stars in a constellation have anything to do with one another?
Light Years
Activity 5.4Constellation Shapes
Because of the tilt of Earth's axis, Wales is closer to the Sun in summer than in winter
The sun rises exactly in the East and sets exactly in the West each day
The amount of daylight increases each day throughout the summer
True or False?Summer occurs when the Earth is closer to the Sun
During winter the sun is lower on the horizonCountries along the equator experience much smaller variations in temperature than countries closer to the poles
Your turn...
In groups chose a module that you think would be most relevant in your classroom.
Choose at least one activity from the guide and plan a lesson around it, including at least one other subject.
Other resources• Earthball Booklet• Space Scoop• astroEDU• Stellariumwww.unawe.org
92
robertsS38@cardiff.ac.uk
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