GEARS Workshop Thursday

2012

Warm Up• Howdy!• Please add some more thoughts to paper

evals• Please complete your morning warmup

Parking lot

Transit of Venus• http://transitofvenus.org/education/teacher-r

esources

Microobservatory – has lots of images of Transit of Venus – June 5, 2012Software link on your flash drivehttp://mo-www.harvard.edu/jsp/servlet/MO.ID.ImageDirectory

Switching GEARS from Supernova and Fusion

• Search for extra solar planets• This is looking for planets around other stars• Not looking for objects orbiting the Sun• There is an app for that• And the resource for all things planet searchy:• http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/

Engage: Demonstration• Take a look at ONE of these ways to represent

a star with a planet as seen from a distant observer on Earth (hint for leaders – use a light bulb…)

• Brainstorm ways to find planets based on this information

Gears@colstate.eduGears@ColumbusState.edu after May 1

Engage: Planet demos• Brainstorm how you might detect planets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WApazS6-mu4

Kepler Mission• Staring at a part of the sky for 3.5 years• Watching the brightness of stars• Looks for dimming of light from star• Periodically!

Make some predictions• See the daily agenda – 9:35 am slot. (or next slide)• Think about why you are making your predictions• Spend less than 7 minutes on your predictions• Write down your predictions AND YOUR REASONING!

Which type of system make it easier to find planets using this technique. If it doesn't

matter, write EQUAL CHANCE1. Less massive stars or more massive stars. 2. Planets with orbits that are closer to circular

or highly elliptical orbits. 3. Face-on orbits or edge-on orbits.4. Small diameter planets or large diameter

planets.5. Small mass planets or large mass planets. 6. Planets close to star or planets far from star.

Now test your predictions

Explore: Transit Simulator• Semi-major axis – average distance from star – see

ellipse definition• Eccentricity – ellipticity – or deviation from round –

see ellipse definition• Inclination – how much plane of orbit tilts as seen

from Earth. Face-on = 0 degrees. Edge on = 90. • Longitude – angle that plane of orbit seen by earth –

think 2-D ellipse that you aren’t looking at from short or long axis – but at an angle

Discuss• What definition did your group use for easier to find?

Easier to find• % flux change – bigger easier to see• Frequency of dip – must balance between the

orbital period (e.g. 100 years vs. 1 year) and the fraction of the orbital period the star is blocked.

• Need to discuss normalized flux – 100% of star light seen vs 99%.

• Other simulator used 0.1 instead of .99 to represent a 1% drop.

Thinking about teaching• How can using a simulation help students

understand science?

After play with sim• Create a hypothesis• Write a hypothesis in the form of "If xxx massive stars

make it easier to find planets then I expect to see ________." What is your independent variable? What is your dependent variable? What are your controlled variables?

• What have you used as a structure or model to help build your hypothesis? (i.e. what reasons do you have for believing your hypothesis?)

Compare hypothesis• What types of questions might your students

come up with?• Is this suitable for a science fair? • What constitutes a testable hypothesis?• Where does this activity this fall on the Rigor

& Relevance Framework?

Good vs. Testable Hypothesis• Hypothesis: If it is easier to find massive

planets then I expect to see more massive planets.

• Testable with simulator or no?• Discuss Testable hypotheses vs. Good

questions to ask.

Elaborate: Kepler Flash• Assign multiple people to examine same star

to be able to compare answers. • Form to complete for answers. • Compare your results to someone else’s with

same object

Evaluate: Graphing Kepler Data in Excel

• Now it is time to use the real deal

Kepler - Period• Multiple ways to decide the period. • Group discussion about what those methods

are.

Kepler Peer Review• Compare results with other participants who

had the same planet. • Provide a formal review of their results on

your whiteboard.

Kepler Planet - answers

The Atlas• http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/atlas/atlas_index.cfm • (from http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov)

% difference, % error• Is it appropriate to calculate the percent

difference or % error of your results with the astronomically published results in this case?

• Discuss in groups.

Citizen Science & Kepler data• http://www.planethunters.org/• Kepler data for your own investigations – published quarterly• A list (in Excel format) of candidates is published (as of Apr

2011) in directory: http://archdev.stsci.edu/pub/kepler/catalogs/

Kepler candidates• Or from link on News page

http://archive.stsci.edu/kepler/ • If you visit the html version – you can click on the

candidate and plot the light curves from publicly accessible data. (Only the EX – not the STKS)

Corrected, Uncorrected

Demonstration #2• Brainstorm some ways to detect planets using

this demonstration as inspiration. • Hand out set of demonstrations for each

person.

Radial velocity• Vs. tangential• Video – introduction• http://planetquest1.jpl.nasa.gov/

Planet_Finder/planetfinder.html • And Radial velocity• Requires sound

Doppler Shift• Introduction to Doppler shift of light• Redshift• Blueshift• From radial velocity link in Planet Quest video• Must use spectral lines – otherwise is just

continuous shift to continuous…• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/

sound/dopp.html#c3

Doppler Shift Lecture Tutorial• Complete this exercise in groups of 2 to 3. • This is designed to be completed while you are

discussing with other people. • This is not designed to be completed on your

own. (despite the fact we keep assigning them as homework)

Doppler Shift Misconception• Summarize – depending on where are– ABC red, yellow, blue stars– Or spacecraft/planets

Habitable Zone• Define it based on your understanding from

the simulation• Whiteboard and defend your definition

Scientific definitions• Mutually agreed upon by many

Habitable zone• Defined as location in a solar system in which

a planetary surface could support liquid water• Does not include greenhouse effect heating

(like on Earth)• Does not include tidal heating – such as on

Europa

Why liquid water?• Ties to other disciplines – chemistry, biology

Other speculations• What else might be required for life?• Might we find life?• How might we look?

Carbon based/Silicon based• How can a discussion of habitable zone be

used in biology, chemistry, physics?

Habitable Zones• Presentations.. Of various levels of difficulty• http://lasp.colorado.edu/~espoclass/homework/.../

Astr3300_sept14_18.ppt • www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/EXTRA2005/talks/Franck.ppt • http://phobos.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret/sgu.../

L07_extrasolarplanets2.ppt

• SETI Institute Resources for Educators. http://www.seti.org/seti-educators

• (look what you could do next summer… http://www.seti.org/seti-educators/asset )

Making connections• Does this content tie to anything you teach?

In 2020, a spacecraft lands on Europa and melts its way through the ice into the Europan ocean. It finds numerous strange, living microbes, along with a few larger organisms that feed on the microbes.

a. This is likely because biosignatures were already detected on Europa by the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

b. This could happen because there is evidence for an ocean underneath the icy surface of Europa and water is a good place to look for life.

c. This is fantasy because it would take more than 10 years for a spacecraft to reach Jupiter using current rocket technology.

d. This is fantasy because the X-ray emission from Jupiter has effectively sterilized all the moons around it.