Background
Why a planet like Venus only visible during the evening or early morning and not at midnight from most parts of the earth? This question has been posed to teachers and students alike. Though this is not exactly a difficult question to answer if teachers & students approach the problem in a systematic way by understanding the position of the planet in the solar system and...
It can be challenging for K–12 students to understand comet composition and behavior through traditional lectures. Hands-on, inquiry-based activities are crucial for transforming abstract astronomy concepts into concrete, unforgettable experiences. In this workshop, students will construct a model of a comet to visualize its composition, structure, and behavior as it orbits the Sun. This...
Planetarium has always been a powerful learning tool to get students engaged in astronomy. However, planetariums are cost prohibitive. In this workshop, we offer a cost effective solution in which a DIY planetarium can be made using sections of triangular cardboards held together by paper clips. Participants will together learn how to construct and finish building a cardboard dome and then...
Astronomy is the field that deals with numbers that are "astronomical" and often hard to comprehend for students. One of the most powerful tools to get the students to appreciate how big these astronomical objects and distances are by use of a scale model. In this activity we introduce the idea of a card game, a sorting task, and making use of everyday objects to represent the astronomical...
I shall present, in workshop mode, a complete presentation of the use of Las Cumbres Observatory Telescopes for School students. This will involve planning of observations, processing of data, and analysis. For this, the analysis can be used using Virtual Observatory tools as well as Jupyter notebooks. Students can be taught both and depending on their coding skills, can be trained. This gives...
In this workshop participants will (subject to operational availability) use Murriyang, the 64m Parkes radio telescope operated by CSIRO in Australia live and remotely to observe pulsars. We'll emulate what happens in a typical live observing session of [PULSE@Parkes][1], a free, long-running education program aimed for high school students. Sessions can be run in person or online which allows...
Many people have faced the issue of organizing stargazing activities on cloudy nights when viewing the stars isn't possible. If you're unsure what to do next, consider incorporating activities that might offer participants alternatives and show off their arts and crafts skills to the fullest.
One such activity is "Constellation Maker." Participants will build an electrical circuit using LED...
Electromagnetic waves are fundamental to astronomy, and visible light is just a tiny part of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, to truly understand the physical properties of celestial objects, visible light alone is not sufficient. This workshop is designed to help participants visualize the “invisible light” that surrounds us—such as infrared, ultraviolet, and radio waves—using...
