Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring

Astronomical Data into the Classroom

Matthew RickertNorthwestern University, CIERA

Take away resources:

• http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/lessonplans.html

2015 Chicago National NSTA Conference

“Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring Astronomical Data into the Classroom”

By Matthew Rickert, Northwestern University

Reach for the Stars w

ebsite with formal lesson plans in astronomy,

biology, chemistry, engineering, Earth science, math, physics, and general

science (including my Color-Magnitude-Diagram and WWT Lesson):

http://gk

12.ciera.nor

thwestern.e

du/classroom

/lessonplans

.html

WWT webpage (to use WWT go to the “Interact” tab, and either install,

or select the web client): http://ww

w.world

widetele

scope.org/

Simbad Database for fin

ding information on astronomical objects:

http://simba

d.u-strasbg.

fr/simba

d/

NASA ADS database to find astronomical papers:

http://ad

sabs.har

vard.edu

/abstrac

t_service.html

Overview

1. Intro to WWT2. Astronomy Databases

– Simbad– NASA ADS

3. Lesson: Using WWT to make H-R Diagrams

WWT

What is WorldWide Telescope (WWT)?

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

What can WWT do?

• Can view the sky in a variety of wavelengths from anywhere on Earth, at anytime

• Can view a 3-D model of the solar system and it’s parts at anytime

• Can zoom to the surface of the Earth (Google earth)

• Can view panorama images from the Moon and Mars

WWT

Getting More Info WWT

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Links to online Databases WWT

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

SIMBAD: Info. on Astronomical Objects SIMBAD

http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/

Links to Papers SIMBAD

http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/

NASA ADS: Database of Astro. Papers NASA ADS

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Using WWT to Make H-R Diagrams• In groups students are assigned a star cluster• Students use WWT to collect brightness and

color measurements for ~10 stars in the cluster

Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Using WWT to Make H-R Diagrams Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

-0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

-3

-1

1

3

5

7

9

Alpha PerseiPleiadesComa BerenicesPraesepeHyadesM67

M_(B-V)0

M_V

0

Current events- Distance to Pleiades

TITLE: A VLBI Resolution of the Pleiades Distance ControversyAuthors: Carl Melis; Mark J. Reid; Amy J. Mioduszewski; John R. Stauffer; Geoffrey C. Bower

Lesson Plan- expanded

http://aas.org/meetings/aas225

Exploring WWT Lesson Plan

http://gk12.ciera.northwestern.edu/classroom/2014/Color%20Magnitude%20Diagrams%20and%20WWT%20Lesson%20plan.pdf

Thank You!

Thank You!

Matthewrickert2017@u.northwestern.edu

2015 Chicago National NSTA Conference

“Using WorldWide Telescope to Bring Astronomical Data into the Classroom”

By Matthew Rickert, Northwestern University

Reach for the Stars w

ebsite with formal lesson plans in astronomy,

biology, chemistry, engineering, Earth science, math, physics, and general

science (including my Color-Magnitude-Diagram and WWT Lesson):

http://gk

12.ciera.nor

thwestern.e

du/classroom

/lessonplans

.html

WWT webpage (to use WWT go to the “Interact” tab, and either install,

or select the web client): http://ww

w.world

widetele

scope.org/

Simbad Database for fin

ding information on astronomical objects:

http://simba

d.u-strasbg.

fr/simba

d/

NASA ADS database to find astronomical papers:

http://ad

sabs.har

vard.edu

/abstrac

t_service.html