In this lesson, students learn about the systems, life cycles, and characteristics of stars by experiencing an in-depth, interactive view of stars using Microsoft WorldWide Telescope (WWT).
The year 2009 was the International Year of Astronomy, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the following two important moments in the history of astronomy:
We are going to use the latest form of a telescope, the Worldwide Telescope, to help us conduct our own astronomical research. Worldwide Telescope is visualization software that enables a computer to function as a virtual telescope. As you’ll discover, it brings together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for an exciting and interactive exploration of the universe. We are going to use it to explore the systems, life cycles, and characteristics of stars.
Can anyone define a star?
A star is a massive sphere of hot glowing gas or plasma that is held together by its own gravity. Stars are made chiefly of hydrogen and a smaller amount of helium. Even the most abundant of the other elements present in stars—oxygen, carbon, neon, and nitrogen—exist in very small quantities.
A star has five main characteristics:
In our tour we are going to cover all five of these characteristics and some of the complex ways they relate to one another. As we take Step 2 of the tour, list all five of these on the Student Handout and take notes on them. You will need to include references to at least three of these five characteristics of stars in your final presentation. Later, you will research one aspect of the stars that interests you and use WWT to create a guided tour to teach the rest of the class what you have learned.
Note: Information and references taken from Microsoft Encarta Reference 2009 and Worldbook@NASA.
Follow the steps below to guide your students through this lesson plan. See student handout links at right.
Ask students to research the history of constellations in depth and select one ancient myth (for example, Pegasus or Orion) to research and read.
Ask students to research the life and work of modern astronomer Charles Messier for a deeper understanding of the history of astronomy.
Ask students to research Galileo, Kepler, or other famous astronomers from the past and present their findings in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
Evaluate each student’s WWT tour on the following:
Before you launch your students into space and the study of distant stars, get them grounded. Have them share a memory of stargazing, spotting the North Star, or watching a meteor shower.
Before letting your students fly off to distant galaxies, create a sense of magnitude for the distance they will travel. Ask them how long they think it takes light to reach the Earth from the Sun. (The answer is eight minutes.)