Las Cumbres Observatory
Star In a Box (Paper-Based)
Do stars age gracefully? Young astronomers use colored paper and data on luminosity and temperature to model the changes of a star during its lifetime. They then compare models of stars of different mass and radii.
Las Cumbres Observatory
Star In a Box
Stars may all look the same from down here, but their surfaces tell a different story. Using an animation, learners collect data about the temperature and luminosity of stars and compare them to their mass and radius. They then answer...
University of Texas
Lives of Stars
Stars exist from a few million years to over 10 billion years, depending on their mass. Scholars perform a play acting as stars to learn about their different life cycles. They develop an understanding of many of the fundamental concepts...
Urbana School District
Light
You matter, unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light ... then you energy. Presentation covers the behavior of light as both a wave and a particle, light versus sound, space travel, why objects have colors, depth perception,...
Exploratorium
Oil Spot Photometer
Are these two light sources the same? Groups use a white card and a little cooking oil to create a photometer that allows for the comparison of two lights. The Inverse Square Law provides a way to calculate the actual difference in...
NASA
Just How Far is That Star?
Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires critical...
It's About Time
Our Community's Place Among the Stars
But isn't the Milky Way a candy bar? Lead a detailed discussion on the complex topic of our solar system and the Milky Way Galaxy as the class explores stellar evolution, structure, and investigates the relationship between luminosity...
Curated OER
How Hot is that Planet?
In this planet activity, students read about finding the temperature of a planet using the distance to its star, its reflectivity and the luminosity of the star. Students use a given equation to determine the surface temperature of the...
Curated OER
Stellar Temperature, Size and Power
In this stellar temperature of stars instructional activity, students use a given formula that relates the stellar light output with the surface area and temperature of a star to solve 3 problems. Students find luminosities of different...
Curated OER
How Many Quasars Are There?
In this quasars worksheet, students read about how astronomers can detect quasars by their luminosity. Students use a given equation to solve 4 problems including finding quasar magnitude, determining the number of quasars with given...
Curated OER
Star Types-Color and Surface Temperature
In this types of stars learning exercise, students complete a table with the color and star type for 17 stars. They are given their luminosity and surface temperature along with a chart that has characteristics of stars to use as reference.
Curated OER
Star Light, Star Bright: Exploring How Stars are Classified
In this star classification worksheet, middle schoolers are given laminated star charts to make observations about stars. They work in groups to classify groups of stars based on different characteristics. For each group of stars they...
Curated OER
Labs from Chicago, Summer 1993: Calibrating the Sun's Light
Students experiment with the luminosity of the Sun's light. In this luminosity lesson, students participate in an experiment with luminosity of the sun and flashlights. They make filters and fiber optic sources.
University of Oregon
Determining Properties of Stars
An excellent website detailing how a star's properties can be determined, and how these properties lead to the way a star is classified.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Stars
In this interactive module students will explore the life cycle of stars and how they produce energy.
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 Kids: Stars
A great site to find general information on stars and their place in the universe. Click on the topics on the right margin for additional information about stars.
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 Kids: What Makes a Star?
Understand the three main characteristics of a star by reading this reference page and watching the short video.
Ministerio de Educación (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion: Diagrama H R Modulo Ii Unidad 3
In this unit you will study the different types of luminosity, the effective temperature of the stars and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Symmetry Magazine
Symmetry Magazine: Explain It in 60 Seconds: Luminosity
Luminosity, described here, is a scale for measuring how efficiently a collider works. "Explain It In 60 Seconds" is an article series that aims to summarize in a few paragraphs the meaning of different concepts in particle physics.
Other
National Optical Astronomy Observatory: Jewels of the Night
Using the Jewelbox Cluster, students determine the cluster's age based on measurements of its color and brightness.
NASA
Nasa: Imagine the Universe: How Big Is That Star
This 2-5 day lesson plan investigates the diameter, radius and mass among several stars in order to understand stellar behavior, particularly in a binary system.
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 Kids: Take Out Your Sunglasses
This web page will discuss how a star's brightness is judged by the amount of energy it emits. Web page contains a video that explores the luminosity of a star.