Category: Books Online

{ A Changing Cosmos Contents } { All GSS Books } A basic physics lab activity using a light sensor to measure brightness of light source(s) at various distances.  Materials: Computer light sensor or Photo cell and ohmmeter Light bulb(s) Meter stick What to do: Hook the photocell to the ohmmeter, and check that the […]

{ A Changing Cosmos Contents } { All GSS Books } There are also 4 other investigations associated with this investigation: Overview: To see how parallax works, we’ll observe and measure the parallax angle of a relatively distant object such as a tree or a flagpole and use that angle  to determine the distance to […]

Chapter 4 { A Changing Cosmos Contents } I. Distance To Things in Our Solar System  For relatively nearby things, like airplanes, we can use radar waves to measure how far away they are. Radar waves are like the radio waves that  radios, wi-fi, and TVs operate with.  Air traffic controllers at airports use radar […]

{ A Changing Cosmos Contents } { All GSS Books } Originally: The Position of the Sun During the Day (A Partial Explanation for the Seasons)  [see also The Solar Calendar] In this investigation you use the software Stellarium to take data of the Sun’s position over a period of a day.  You’ll take the […]

Investigation 3.2 { A Changing Cosmos Contents } Materials One of the image processing (IP) apps listed for A Changing Cosmos on the GSS software page. Steps I. In order to look at “Smartphone” images with SalsaJ or JS9, you need to be able to transfer photos from your smartphone to your computer and know where to […]

Investigation 3.1 { A Changing Cosmos Contents } Materials:  I. How Big is that Prominence? a. Use Image Processing app/software to open the image eclipse1.fts.   This image of the longest total solar eclipse* of the 20th century was taken in Hawaii in 1991 by an HOU team. Look around the rim of the Sun (often called […]

Chapter 3 { A Changing Cosmos Contents } At the beginning of this book, two of the three ways to “end life as we know it” were caused by dramatic changes that can happen at the end of star’s life, when it can swell up to enormous size in a red giant stage, or blow […]

{ A Changing Cosmos Contents } { All GSS Books } There is a myriad variety of celestial objects. Astronomers delight in describing, classifying, and naming them, but also grapple with trying to explain why they look the way they do.  Materials Part I: Browse 2.19. Using each of the files, browser1 through browser7, use and familiarize yourself […]

{ A Changing Cosmos Contents } { All GSS Books } Materials copy of CCD simulation grid colored markers tape The images from the HOU telescopes are generated using a CCD camera. This kind of camera uses an electronic chip rather than the photosensitive chemical films used by regular cameras. The electronic chip is divided […]

Paper maps Three free paper (PDF) star maps that are good, produced for the current night sky, with new ones available each month are: What’s Out Tonight, Skymaps.com, Beckstrom Observatory. Planispheres A planisphere is a version of star map that is adjustable for any day and any time. Standing here on Earth which is rotating, […]