Interactive Resources

Astronomy with a Stick / Day into Night

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Day into Night

DIN Unit 3: Light Pollution

Introduction :: Activity 1 :: Activity 2

Activity 2

Objective

This activity will tie students around the world together to share light pollution data using the worldwide web. It will also give students a chance to review experimentation techniques and data analysis.

Vocabulary

  • Control
  • Data
  • Stellar magnitude
  • Variable

Procedure

  1. As a class, decide what is the highest magnitude of star that can be seen from your location.
  2. On the worldwide web, have your students help you fill out the online response form.
  3. Bring up the on-line data page. Pick several of the classes that have responded and have your students research their locations (useful information would be population, location, and setting).

Discussion

Discuss the following questions as a class:

  1. What classes could see the highest magnitude stars? How does this relate to where those students live?
  2. Are there controls and variables in this experiment? What are they?

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